Animals - The Cabin
by gettsleazy
Summary: Written by Jan (@gettlseazy), and co-written by Peter (@StaticJungle) and Mark (@marksuxx). A group of friends going on a vacation to "Paradise", the lake house owned by their wealthy friends family. Paradise turns into a nightmare as they are picked off one by one by a mysterious killer, who lives amongst them.
1. Chapter 1 - The Introduction

"How much do you need to know?" Ke$ha mumbles as Mike sites opposite to her.

"Better yet, how much do you _want _to know?" she states with an air of crass in her voice. She is sitting in an interrogation office. Her fans, known as "Animals", have been involved, rather, the victims of, a recent string of murders.

"Look, _Mike_" she quips, making sure her investigator knows that she has no time, let alone patience for this.

"If you haven't noticed, my fans are fucking crazy."

"I know. I used to be one of them." Mike states. Ke$ha looks surprised.

"I wouldn't peg you as one. You have a college degree and are employed, while most of my fans are neither."

"Very funny Miss Sebert" Mike says as her pushes her comment aside.

"Were here to talk about you. Not your fans."

"Buy aren't my fans the whole entire reason I'm here. I mean, Jesus, if you're going to do your job, do it right." Ke$ha mutters something under her breath, pulling out her iPhone.

"Put that away, Miss Sebert"

"KALAN" Ke$ha shouts. "KALAN. Get in here you lazy bitch before I ensure that the last thing you see is of Mr. Peep's piss running down your face!"

Nobody responds. Mike stares at her, aghast.

"M-miss se…" Mike stutters.

"Cut the crap. You want the story? The big hoo haa? Fine. If I'm going to tell you, you're going to have to listen, because it's long and I _don't_ feel like wasting my Friday night in a jail cell."

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we?" Mike pulls out a notepad and a voice recorder.

Miranda Davis sits alone in her college dormitory. She has returned from class, her long brown locks tied up in a messy bun above her head. She seems tired, as she can barely muster the energy to get up for a shower. She begins to fall asleep, her eyes fluttering open and closed by the second.

"Oh shit!" she rises with a startle. "I can't forget that."

She opens up her iPhone and tweets "#collegeswag"

A smile crosses her face as she falls asleep.

Clair O'Carr is seated at her computer desk at within her home. Her parents are out and she is left inside of the house alone. The monitor glares, omitting an ominous white light throughout the downstairs area.

"One day, I will be you. We will be one," she mutters, stroking the monitor.

On her screen is a high-resolution picture of Sky Ferreira.

"You can't escape me." She whispers. "You are me."

"Claire, honey, we're home!" her parents cheerily announce upon their arrival home.

"I told you mom, for the last time, my name is Sky!" she yells as she slams her door.

"It's okay, they don't understand" she says to her monitor.

Mauro Lealtise is browsing his twitter feed. A new tweet from Ke$ha appears.

"Please come to brazil" he tweets her.

She does not respond.

Back in Florida, Alex Zink and Christine from McDonalds enjoy a snack at a nearby coffee shop. Alex is humming his new favorite song, while Christine seems jittery. She is still in her McDonalds attire, and has a look of nervousness coupled with anxiety.

"What's wrong, Kitty?" Alex questions, typing on his phone.

"My boss doesn't know I'm out of work" Christine mumbles, a look of shame crossing her face.

"So? Who gives a shit? You work at a fucking McDonalds" Alex apathetically responds.

"You don't understand. My boss is going to _fry _me" she sighs.

"Haha, really funny" Alex sarcastically retorts.

Upon her return to work, Christine's manager shoves her head into the frying pans.

Jan is arrives to his lunch table. His friends eagerly await him and greet him upon his entry.

"Hey dude, what's up?"

"I already told you, I'm not gay." He yells.

"What the hell are you talking about?" his friend questions.

"No. I'm straight!" he yells again, before leaving the table in a fit of rage.

Peter is on skype with his friend. A window to the outside shows behind him. A vast landscape of Canadian mountains sprawls behind him, with wildlife and maple trees and men saying "Eh?" bountiful in the lush scenery.

"I thought you lived in China?" his friend exclaims, surprised at her recent discovery.

"No, I live in Canada" Peter retorts.

A moose flies by his window, screeching.

Michelle stands within a club room, aiding her friend Lauri Jaramillo in setting up her DJ equipment for that nights show.

"Why are you wearing glasses?" Michelle questions. It's dark in here.

"I like them" Lauri shrugs, pushing her hair out of her face.

"No, really," Michelle, annoyed, quips. "Your obsession with those things is worse than Demi Lovatos obsession with hot-cakes." She laughs to herself and pulls out her phone, tweeting it out. A pack of rabid Lovato fans are in her mentions within seconds. "They're so easy", she cackles.

"I don't know Michelle, I just really like 'em" Lauri says, eyeing Michelle as she walks towards her.

"What are you doing?" Lauri shouts as Michelle grabs at her face.

She rips Lauri's glasses off and sighs. Another pair is under the first one.

Kevin sits crammed within a crowded subway. His friend Austin sits next to him, and looks at him quizzically.

"Dude, you look stressed." He says, as Kevin rubs his forehead.

"Yeah, the store rejected my EBT and I don't have enough money for my KFC tonight."

Jane and Vivian appear bored in a college dormitory. Bottles of vodka litter the floor

"Let's do something wild. Like, try to force an entire trailer park up my vag," Jane says, rolling about on the floor, burping and farting.

Vivian cackles. "You're the definition of trash you skankwipe. Pebe has more class than you" she spurts as she knocks over another bottle of Grey Goose.

"Wake up in the morning feelin' like P-Diddy!" Jane attempts to sing as a plume of vomit rushes up her throat.

"Oh shit!" Vivian yells. "I thought you said you bought new medication after your child support and welfare checks came in." Vivian questions as Jane vomits her arteries-worth into the sink.

"Stupid Bitch," Vivian mumbles, wiping puke from the corner of Janes lips.

"Don't complain to me when your crusty ass lips didn't even work on the Dean, you ugly slutshit," Jane spits.

A knock comes from the door.

"WHO IS IT", Vivian screeches, Hyena like.

"It's Steven," a muffled voice from the outside says.

"Let him in!" Jane yells. After Vivian goes to get the door, Jane mutters, "to my vagina" as another wave of puke comes gushing out of her mouth.

"It stinks in here," says Steven as he traipses across the sea of bottles on the ground.

"Yeah, Jane's puking in the bathroom" Vivian giggles as the smell of dollar-general booze wafts from her mouth.

"Hey, look," says Steven. "I was wondering if I could trade you this rare new Ke$ha acapella I got for a bottle of Ciroq?"

The noises of another wave of vomit emit from the Bathroom.


	2. Chapter 2 -Plans

Ke$ha begins to tell her story. She attempts to recall details, appearing dazed and confused.

"How do you know all of this, Ms. Sebert" Mike questions "How do you possibly know everything related to the murders?"

"They were all my fans. Then one of the survivors met up with me after the incident. It was heartbreaking to hear about, but they told me everything… everything they knew, at least." Her voice cracked.

"So what you are telling me is the honest truth, nothing but the truth, and you are aware it can be used against you in a federal court hearing." Ke$ha looked up at Mike, staring at him.

"Yes." she replied.

"Very well. Continue."

* * *

"Did you get the DM?" Alex shouted downstairs to Christine, who was folding her McDonalds uniform and hanging it in the closet. Alex and Christine were roommates, sharing a house Alex's mother had allowed them to rent. Both paid their wages to the standard price, but it came with it's nuisances. Christine was always talking about her job. It drove Alex crazy to the point that he refused to drive her one morning and Christine broke into sputtered tears, begging that he bring her. Alex wasn't such the easy one either, and would frequently take up hours in the bathroom, much to Christines annoyance, to make sure he looked presentable for the day. While their lives ran parallel, they were best friends in the most simple sense of the phrase – loyal, forgiving, and tolerant.

"What are you going on about" Christine yelled, as she was too exhausted to take the trip up the stairs.

"Viv, Jane, Steven, and Jan all sent me one. They want to take all of us on a trip."

* * *

Claire sat at the local café, waiting impatiently for her friends to arrive. "They're always late" she mumbled, looking at her phone, waiting for a text or message from Lauri or Michelle to appear. She was so utterly bored at that moment that she had wished even Jan would text her. What she got instead surprised her.

"What the hell does _she_ want?" Claire's mind spat, looking at the Direct Message from Vivian St. Clair, a good friend of hers. More messages popped up from Jan, Steven, Jane, and now Alex and Christine.

"Looks like I'll be going on a trip" she sighs aloud as Michelle and Lauri arrive.

"Did you get the –" Claire is interrupted by Lauri.

"Yeah", Lauri quipped, running over Claire.

"We both got it" Michelle chimed in.

"Are you excited?" Claire asked, with a sense of retreat in her voice.

"Sure. Cabins aren't my thing, but hey, Lana **always** talks about the open road. I need to find that road and take it." Michelle followed her idol Lana Del Rey like a bible.

"Sky stays inside a lot. I don't think she'd like it if I did this" Claire said, biting into Michelles logic.

"You both sound like fucking idiots" Lauri interjected, rolling her eyes.

* * *

Miles away, in a college classroom, Vivian St. Clair's phone lit up. A text from Jane displayed on her bright screen. 'Who's replied so far?' questioned Jane. Vivian sent back - 'the usuals: Peter, Kevin, and Mark haven't though'

'What did Jan and Steven say' Jane questioned, her messages lighting up Vivians screen like a strobe.

'They're both in. Jan's mom is going to pay for him. Steven says he's unsure about whether his parents will be ok but I'm thinking they'll let him go' Vivian texted back.

'They better' Jane sent.

It had been Vivian, Jane, Jan, and Stevens idea to organize a trip for all of their friends on twitter. They would spend the week at a lush Cabin in the woods of California, provided free of charge by Vivian's wealthy family. 'The house is like a mansion' Vivian mentioned in her DM to the group. She was just as excited as they were. The only requirement her parents had was 'not to make a mess' – something Vivian and the group could easily follow (with the right amount of Febreeze, trash bags and vacuums)

* * *

"I don't think you realize how serious this is for me" Jan argued with his mother. "I'm going on a school retreat to fucking California! Do you know what this will look like on my college applications, coupled with all of my AP advanced classes and my superior intelligence?"

Jan had managed to convince his mother that the "trip" he and his friends were taking was a school-sponsored event. His friend had aided him in forging a letter, laden with the schools official logo, accompanied by a "signature" from his principal. The plane ticket was $120 dollars, and Vivian said that if everyone agreed to go, she'd have her father cover the tab.

"I just want to have fun" he said to his mother, pulling out his AP calculus book.

* * *

Peter and Mark were exchanging messages over twitter.

"You going?" sent Mark, hoping his friend would reply with a defiant "yes."

"I'm unsure," Peter said. "I don't feel 'close' enough with the entire group and my plane ticket will be like $80."

"Meh, mines gonna be 110. Just ask your parents. All of us can afford it except Miranda and Kevin," read a message from Mark.

"I thought Kevin was paying using the suffrage money he got from his great-grandparents slave owners?" Peter quizzically replied.

Far away, Kevin reads the message on his phone. "Better get that check in fast" he thinks.

"Yeah. And Miranda is taking some money out of the #YOLO foundation." Mark replied back.

"I though that she started that 'foundation' herself?" Peter questioned.

"Yeah. She's taking the $200 she used to start it to pay for her trip. She also started a sub-foundation called "#swagthisway", where she offers classes to teach the art of 'college swag'."

Miles away, Miranda's phone lights up. She reads the message from Vivian. "Swaggie", she yelps.

* * *

Steven sits at home, waiting for a reply from Vivian. He had visited Jane and Vivian in their dorm room the other day to find a mess, but it didn't bother him much. He only lived 20 minutes away from the college, attending the local high school and waiting to graduate.

"Who said yes so far?" Steven sends Jane, since Vivian has yet to reply.

"Everybody" Jane quickly replies. "Vivians dad cancelled the whole 'I'll pay for it' deal, so everyone has to come up with the funds. She said if we can prove to him that we treated the house responsibly, he'd pay for our flights back."

"Sweet" replies Steven. "When should I book my flight?" he questioned, anticipating her response.

It was spring break, so Steven's parents had no problems with him leaving the house, and none of the other parents contested the trip much either.

"Me and Viv already booked everything. You just have to pay for the tickets at the gates." Jane sent back, a rush of adrenaline pulsing through her veins.

"We're leaving this weekend."

* * *

At the resort-like house in California, the wind whips the padded shingles. It whizzes around the four-story home, and troughs up waves in the infinity pool overlooking the lake. The large glass windows remain intact, showing a view into the living room, adorned with Indian-print rugs, lavish wooden cabinets and fine-cushioned furniture, and a TV the size of the average dinner table.

The Cabin is set apart from everything. The forest remains alive with the sounds of animals; hawks hunting for prey, raccoon's scavenging for food. The sound of the human race is void. No voice is heard, no laughter is tangible. A vast wilderness of nothing awaits.

Outside the house, a figure shifts through the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3 - Paradise

"Okay – so they set themselves up for a trip, I'm assuming?" Mike questioned.

"Yeah. They were all at the house. None of them knew what was going to happen. According to the person I talked to, it came out of no-where. They died fast and they died quick. Nobody had time to stop it. Nobody had time to even figure out who was doing it."

Ke$ha rambled along, eating her words, chocking up every few sentences. A tear formed in her eye and fell towards the cold grey table. Before it could reach its landmark, it got tangled in her blonde locks, lost in a sea of hair.

"Do you know how many of them I had actually met? They were my fucking fans, my fucking life. You don't get it. You never will!" Ke$ha shouted at Mike.

A pause enamored the two.

"Why are you here, Ms. Sebert?" Mike mused, breaking the silence.

"To tell you what really happened." She responded curtly.

"Why can't the survivor tell us?" Mike questioned, his fingers wiggling the bright blue pen in his hands.

"The only survivor is in solace. Even _you_ couldn't find her," Ke$ha said, glaring at Mike.

"Why would she tell you and only tell you?" Mike said, prying at Ke$ha.

"She told me when we met, a month after it happened. The whole thing."

"Why didn't she tell the cops?" Mike said, giving her no sympathy or time to recoup.

"She didn't need to. The investigation was closed. She only told them what they wanted, and that's all they needed to know. Then **you** came around and decided to re-open this three-month old murder case with no solid stamp of evidence. If you couldn't find the killer then, how will you find him or her now?"

A silence mounted itself between the two. Ke$ha's cold eyes glared into Mike's, whilst he sat unresponsive.

"Continue your story, Ms. Sebert."

* * *

The tickets had been booked, the flights had been scheduled, and the bags had been packed. Their flights were set to send them all straight to Los Angeles International Airport. Once there, they all would get into Vivians RV and drive towards her house. Since her house was an island in a lake, the only way to access it was by boat. While the others enjoyed the magnificent amount of privacy, some were not so keen on it.

Steven sat in an airport gateway with Vivian by his side. Jane had gone to pick up food from a concession booth, since their flight did not depart for another fourty-five minutes.

"Are you sure this is going to be safe?" Steven asked Vivian. "I know it's a huge house, but it's a big lake, cut off from everything. What if something happens to one of us? What if one of us gets hurt or-"

Vivian cut him short. "Stop being such a pussy. It's 5 minutes or less to mainland by boat. My dad has an entire collection of Jet Ski's, a motorboat, and a few kayaks there. If anything goes wrong, we'll get into the motorboat, or call the help that lives right by us, and we'll motor right over."

Steven gave Vivian a look of apathy and shrugged away. Vivian was stressed out of her mind about the entire trip. What if something went wrong? What if they destroyed something? Better yet, what if the house set on fire and killed everyone? Vivian had no time for Steven's complaints at the moment.

* * *

Lauri, Michelle, and Claire were driving towards the Logan Airport in Boston. Since they all lived near each other, they figured they would be able to carpool to reduce gas costs and save each other time. All were singing along to a Karaoke Version of Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness", belting the notes, nearly blowing out their lungs.

After the track was over, Lauri looked to Michelle.

"You excited?" she asked.

Michelle stared at her blankly.

"Keep your eyes on the road. I don't feel like getting killed or cut up before we get there," Michelle sternly shouted over the sound of the engine. 'Haha, cut up' she thought to herself. 'Just like Demi's arms.'

"Do you know what time we need to get there?" said Claire, impatiently messaging Vivian asking for details.

"We wont be there any later than eleven-o-clock' am" Lauri said proudly, expressing happiness she was able to drive and get them there on time. Michelle smiled, excited for the trip.

Just as she said that, a car with two African American men swerved by them, turning into their lane. Lauri honked her horn loudly.

"Stupid niggers," muttered Claire.

* * *

Alex and Christine were on their way out of Florida. They had agreed to get Mark before departing for the airport in Miami. They arrived at Mark's home, said hello to his mother, and picked him up.

"Hey," said Mark, cramming his luggage and himself into the back seat.

"Sorry I don't have a trunk, my job at McDonalds doesn't allot for much space and Alex's surburban is in the shop" Christine said as she put the car into gear.

"It's cool! I'm really excited" Mark said, gesturing his feelings towards Alex and Christine.

"Yeah, me too" Alex said, tilting his Starbucks Mocha Frappe up to his mouth, and pushing his aviators up to his hairline.

"Why don't you prefer McDonalds smoothies? They're 20 percent off this week, and if you bundle it with a Big Mac, Double Stack, or any other two-pattie burger, a medium fry, and a drink, you save two dollars!" Christine shouted, shaking with glee.

* * *

Jan had packed his Escalade up full with luggage. He had picked up Kevin on his way into New York, and Peter had driven down to NYC to fly out of the same airport. They had agreed to meet at the terminal and group up.

Peters number appeared on his screen and the phone began to ring. Jan picked it up.

"Where the fuck are you? I've been in the city for literally an hour" Peter sniped at Jan.

"It's not my fault. I've driven through the entire ghetto and I still can't find Kevin." Jan said, an air of stress in his voice.

"Just… Just find him. Okay?!" Peter said, wringing at his hair. "Don't leave me hanging."

Jan hung up the phone, turning a corner.

Soon enough, after driving miles through the ghettos of New York, he found Kevin within a cardboard box on the street.

"Do you know how long it took me to find you?" Jan shouted at Kevin. "I almost got shot twice and I'm pretty sure I ran over Lil' Kim on my way up here."

"Nigga don't complain," Kevin said, snapping his neck to the left and back. "I told you I lived on Greneld Street. Not my fault yo' fool ass couldn't work it's way up to here."

"How do you even use twitter if you live in a box?" Jan jabbed at Kevin.

"Actually, my family lives on the upper east side in a two story flat. I taxi there err'day. I ain't got no time to spend around rich folks." Kevin sassed.

"Get in" said Jan.

"Can we stop for KFC?" Kevin hopefully questioned.

"No. We're already late as it is" Jan said, turning his entire head to face Kevin with a cold glare

"Help a nigga out." Kevin said.

As it became evident that he wasn't going to fall for it, Kevin retreated into his seat.

"I'mma cover yo' AP books in chicken grease, bum bitch" Kevin muttered, pulling out chicken breast from his pocket.

* * *

Miranda finishes packing her bags, and hops into her car. She is the only one of the group that isn't carpooling with the rest of them, since she lives too far away from them. Her car starts with a rumble and she begins her hour-long drive to the airport.

30 minutes in, her phone rings. Robin Thicke's cooing voice jitters out of the phone - its Vivian.

"Everyone else is at their gates already. Where the fuck are you?"

"I'm on my way. My flight doesn't even leave for another hour. Let me do my thing and leave the swag to me," Miranda says to Vivian, feeling un-roused.

"Whatever. As long as you get to the house we'll be fine. If you don't, I'm not paying for your ticket." Vivian said, hanging up the phone.

Miranda was going seventy-five in a sixty zone. Her car was zooming through the countryside, flying through the hills and reaching towards the city not so far away.

Out of no-where, an old lady appears, crossing a street. Miranda hits her head on, and she goes flying into the distance. Miranda keeps driving.

"Swaggie," She whispers to herself.

* * *

All of the planes departed at their separate intervals. The groups of friends came flooding into LAX, waiting for the others. First Vivians party, then Lauris. Afterwards came Alex's party, and finally Jan, Kevin, Peter, and Miranda. All jammed into Vivians RV, and shared their hugs. Before they knew it, they were in the tall treed forests of California.

"I feel like were in the middle of no-where," Peter commented.

Jan and Lauri shared a giggle.

"Isn't this common for you?" said Claire. "You live in the middle of nowhere."

"Yeah, isn't the only life-form in Canada Moose?" Michelle asked.

"Fuck off," Peter said, retreating into his seat.

"Were here" Vivian said, pulling into a rut in the road. Jan had ordered a transfer boat so that he would be able to ferry his Escalade Across the lake.

"Looks like it's there" he exclaimed, seeing a white spot in the distance.

"Where the fuck is he?" Vivian exclaimed, exasperated.

"Who?" Steven asked.

"Is he cute?" Kevin questioned.

Vivian rolled her eyes. "He's one of the help. They live on a smaller island rock off of ours. They help keep it clean n' stuff when were gone from it."

"Looks like he's here" Jane said, as a motorboat rolled in towards the edge of the water.

Standing on deck was a teenage boy with a Mexican-colored complexion. He didn't seem to speak English and seemed distant from the group as they loaded their backs.

"Introduce yourself" Vivian kindly gestured.

"Me llamo Mauro" he said in his thick accent.

"It means my name is Mauro," Vivian said, proud of her helper boy. "He's from Brazil. How exotic, riiiight?" she giggled.

"I can speak English you know" Mauro said. "I was just trying to be funny."

He looked at Claire, his gaze drifting towards her eyes.

"What?" she snapped at him

"Please come to Brazil."

* * *

The Motorboat pulled up to a large beach-like landing.

"Don't get your hopes up. Most of it's fake," she said, gesturing to the sandy shore. "We had to pay for this to be built. It was all rocks before," Vivian stated, feeling proud her family even had that money to spend in the first place. "It's a seven minute walk from here to the house. You fatties can make it"

Trekking through the forest, one could not help admiring the landscape. Vivian said that the entire island was naturally shaped and built like this, and everything around it was real when they had bought it. All they had to do was cut down some trees to make room for the house.

The trees were tall, mostly palm or fern trees. Pine trees littered the heights of the island. Birds and other animals were cheering and yipping away at the new guests. The air smelled fresh and clean, and the ground was moist with wood chips and sod. Branches littered the trail leading to the cabin. Vivian explained that they use a separate beach within the cabin. The boat drops them off at the opposite side of the island since the ground is too shallow on the separate beach, and would run aground.

The giant finished-wood Cabin loomed into view. It was a large structure, entirely made of dark brown wood (although Vivian stated that the wood was manufactured to have the dexterity of titanium.) In front of the Cabin was a long, tiled path, with two large torch-lanterns ushering you to follow it. At the peak of the stone steps, the breathtaking view was present.

The Cabin was settled overlooking the back of the lake. The sun reflected off of a large, wood tiled porch, placed on the left of the cabin. A fountain trickled in the center of the path, which presented a roundabout so one could follow the path. The front door was preceded by a set of torchlights and finished, wooden steps that shone brightly in the light. Vivian opened the front door.

"Welcome to Paradise," she smiled.

* * *

The front door lead into a wood paneled coatroom, the size of the average teenagers bedroom. A two-door closet was stationed to the left, and a wall-sized mirror was placed on the right. Upon opening the glass coatroom doors, one was led into the living room.

Indian-print rugs adorned the floors, and giant, wooden cabinets lined the walls. Modern, white and black furniture lined the room, including a couch large enough to fit six families. A large TV was stationed on the back wall. To the left of the TV was the door out to the back porch.

"Oh my fucking god," Michelle commented, breathless, looking out to the back. She pushed open the glass, French doors and ran out to the back. An infinity pool sat right behind the porch, which was lined with a chiminea, a grill, and multiple glass and black tables to seat large amounts of people. The infinity pool was a straight shot, jutting out of the cabin like a dagger. To the right of it was a set of stairs that led down to a beach, equipped with a set of kayaks and Jet Ski's.

Back in the house, a kitchen was stationed behind the living room, to the right of the room. The kitchen had large, glass paneled windows that looked out to the lake and the pool, and an island table made of pure marble. Lining the walls and marble counter-tops were appliances to the newest standard. A twenty-seven inch iMac sat on the corner, accompanied by an office chair. Two coffee makers were opposite each other on the side of the counters. A blender, a Keurig machine, and an icebox were with the other applications. A shining sink sat central facing the window, and plates and utensils sat in their respective cabinets.

"It's all Platinum" Vivian giggled, a smile crossing her face. She looked towards the wall. "Ahhh, this is where the fun begins" she exclaimed. Vivian pressed a panel on the wall, entered a four-digit security code, and the wall opened. A plethora of Alcohol sat inside – from wines to whiskeys, from vodkas to tequilas. Vivian pulled out a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, pouring a glass for everyone.

"Bottoms up, bitches" she said as they all clinked their glasses and poured the fresh drinks down their throats.

"This way" Vivian motioned.

Leading them back through the living room, heading down a long hallway, she led them into the master bedroom.

"This is my room. Unless I invite you in, please, stay out" she smiled.

"Your rooms are on the two floors upstairs. Two to a room, twelve rooms. They're all fitted with beds and furniture, along with a bathroom. You can fight over that stuff." Vivian said, motioning them upstairs.

* * *

The rooms were set up with two large bay windows, equipped with silk curtains. A computer sat in each room, and a desk held it up. A gigantic two-door closet held all clothes and underwear any of them had, and the bathroom was set to the left, fitted with mexicano tiles, granite countertops, a full sized mirror and a shower. The beds were queen sized, and set opposite to each other, the bay window between them. A lamp desk and a drawer stood next to the beds. A television sat up, opposite to the window. In front of the window was a large, white couch, facing the television.

"This is gonna be good," Lauri smiled, setting her stuff down next to Marks in the closet.

Claire and Michelle settled in together, arguing over who got to play their music first on the stereo.

"Lana goes first. She always comes first. In John 3:11 she is the patron saint that re-assembles the Jews to go to war! Lana **always** comes first," Michelle cried at Claire, her face flushing red, eyes buck wild.

Alex and Christine spent the next hour arguing over who got the bathroom first, per usual.

Kevin and Peter decided to bunk together. A putrid scent rose moments later.

"What the fuck is that?" shouted Peter, the odor becoming overwhelmingly disgusting.

"I stored some friend chicken under my bed. Hope you don't mind" Kevin shouted back.

Miranda decided that she wanted her own room, so she assembled herself in a hallway closet the size of the average kitchen. Mauro brought her a bed, and Vivian took some furniture from the living room and placed it upstairs.

Steven, Jan, and Jane took the last bedroom on the top floor. Vivian had Mauro deliver an extra bed for the room. This room was larger, with a higher ceiling, bigger bay windows, a fan, and more space. The furniture remained static, albeit Jane's bed, which sat in front of the bay window.

"Paradise, here I am" Jane mumbled, smiling at Jan and Steven.

* * *

After all of them had settled in, a loud knock came from the front door.

"I'll get it" shouted Mark.

"No you won't, dip-ass" Vivian yelled, running to the door. Four young women and a man, accompanied by Mauro, stood outside.

"Hey, get down here!" Vivian screeched. The hustling of footsteps could be heard, and all of the friends were arranged in the living room within a few minutes.

"I'd like you to meet the help. They live in a house down the way, probably about 5 minutes walk-time from here. They basically take care of the house and make sure everything's okay. I just wanted to introduce you all" Vivian said, smiling at the room. "Introduce yourselves" she gestured to the help.

"I'm Mauro, you know me already." Everyone said hi, and Claire grunted and rolled her eyes.

"I'm Nicole," said a tall blonde girl with a broad smile that resembled a model.

"She doesn't look like a member of the help," Steven whispered. Michelle smacked him on the arm.

"My names Gaby" said a tall, dark haired woman standing next to Mauro. She smiled at the group. Her red beanie that read "#teamdead" contrasted the dark porch behind her.

"I'm Mary!" sputtered a girl next to Nicole. She resembled a shorter version of the taller, model like girl standing next to her. She had long, straight blonde hair with tinges of brown at the roots, and smiled at the group, seeming friendly.

"I'm Sammi" said a girl around the same height as Mary. Her brown hair wisped next to her glasses, falling into curls around her neck. Peter went to give her a handshake.

"Cut the crap" she spat. "I have a boyfriend," she said as Peter's hand retreated.

"And I'm Broo Broo" said a tall, African-American man in to the very left of the group. He smiled, and his booming British voice rang through the house. He had an afro that was obviously a wig, or a weave. Nobody could tell. Kevin let out a tiny yelp of adoration.

"Broo Broo, what kind of ratchet name is that" mumbled Jane. Michelle giggled.

"Ratchet?" Broo Broo yelped at Jane. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean", he sniped, patting his weave.

"Annnyyyywayssss" Vivian commented, breaking the silence. "These guys are the help. If you need anything when they're around, ask them. If they're busy and working, don't bother them. My parents pay them to do their job and do it well," she stated, making sure the group was listening.

She ushered the help out of the house, with the group saying bye to them. Kevin breathed on the window and drew a heart with his hands matching Broo Broo's slowly fading figure.

Vivian ushered the group up to bed. Everyone was exhausted from the long trip, and eagerly awaiting to hop into his or her lush mattress. Vivian went into her room, the rest into theirs, and the lights were out within minutes.

Little did they know that tonight, one of them would die.

* * *

A figure rustled around Jan's Escalade, weaving in and out of the shadows. A wind whipped around the cabin, making all noises distorted and alien. The figure stepped on a branch, snapping it in two.

Claire shot out of bed, being awake for hours, unable to sleep.

"Did you hear that?" she whisper-talked in Michelle's direction. Michelle turned over.

"It's probably Lana, coming to take me to Paradise" said Michelle, obviously involved in a deep sleep dream.

"Go to sleep, assholes!" Vivian shouted from under them. Claire shrugged it off, receding back into her bed.

The figure wormed closer to the house, dodging branches and avoiding the stares of deer and raccoon. It reached the front steps. Pulling out a key, the figure unlatched the door. The activation of a key allowed the security system to recognize the figure as someone who should have access to the house, and let him in.

"Too easy" the figure whispered. He clenched his carving knife tightly, a roll of rope in the other hand. He inched closer and closer to the stairs leading to the bedrooms, not realizing Vivians room was right down stairs. He held a bobby pin in his mouth.

A door creaked open.

"Probably one of them getting a snack" Claire said as her muscles relaxed, falling into a deep slumber.


	4. Chapter 4 - Paradise Interrupted

"This part is when it takes a turn for the worst" Ke$ha said to Mike, biting her lips.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before" Mike said, gesturing for her to continue.

"They were too young," she replied, looking down at her hands.

* * *

A muffled noise came whispering through the house. The figure was dragging a now bound teenager through the house.

"Shut up. It'll be over quick. I promise" the figure whispered, trying to hush up the struggling boy.

"Wha-mrhghdhfffhfh are you doin-mmffgfghfghfh" the teen managed to muffle out. He had been tied up by the mysterious figures rope – his hands behind his back, and his feet bound. The figure had managed to coax him out of the bedroom by pretending to be a familiar voice, begging him to come aid the figure with some mundane task. The teen, clouded by sleep, rose and walked towards the cooing voice, out of his bedroom door, and straight into his captor's arms.

The killer had devised a foolproof plan. No traces would be left, and no evidence would be found. The killer attempted to get the teen to stand up. As the teen struggled to escape, the killer gave him an ultimatum. Walk or die. The teen, attempting to scream, but only to be muffled, obliged.

The killer took him out the forest, walking towards the beach. Upon arrival, the figure tied the young boy up to a tree, in order to get his hands free. He pulled the knife from his pocket, tracing it over the contours of his victim's arms.

"We're going to make this clean and quick."

The teenager struggled to free himself, but to no avail. His muffled scream fell on deaf ears.

The killer sheathed his blade, and stabbed him in the stomach. The teenager's eyes bulged, and a pool of blood began to soak his shirt.

"I'm really sorry, but it's a rule in slasher films that I kill you first," the figure shrugged before digging another wound into his left ribcage. "Shhhh, shhhh" the figure cooed. "It'll all be over soon. I promise."

The teenagers eyes began to become heavy, his heart rate slowed down. The victim undid his ties and gag, knowing he wouldn't be able to get very far at this point.

"B-b-backstabber," the victim whispered with his last breath, staring right into his killer's eyes. He had seen the figures face, but nobody would ever know what he saw.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" the killer cooed, shoving one final stab into the victims back. His prey fell limp, and his eyes rolled back. Lifting the victim up, the figure made sure none of his blood made a mess of the sand. The figure took the body to the shoreline, tossing it into the lake. The killer returned to the sand and brushed it in different directions, and uprooted the bloody ferns that were under its victim.

* * *

The house woke up to the smell of fresh bacon and pancakes, accompanied by the smell of coffee brewing. Vivian and Jane had gotten up early to prepare food for everyone. Claire was the first to roll into the kitchen, rubbing her eyelids.

"I couldn't sleep at all last night" Claire said, plopping down onto one of the granite islands kitchen stools.

"What's up?" Jane questioned, while Vivian gave her a look of concern.

"I kept hearing stuff. Like braches snapping and stuff like that. At one point I heard someone leave their room and that freaked me out." Claire mumbled, trying to recall what had prevented her peaceful sleep the night before.

"Eh, don't sweat it" smiled Vivian. "You hear so much crazy shit out hear you don't really know what's real or fake."

The rest of the group piled in, slowly waking up, laughing and giggling over the morning's gossip, stories, and news.

Claire looked around the room. Something wasn't right. Something was missing.

"Where's Kevin?" questioned Claire.

The room went silent. Everyone looked around.

"Maybe he's still upstairs?" Steven looked around for eyes of approval. Everyone shrugged, Michelle replied with a despondent 'probably' and Claire started at her plate.

"I'll go check" said Peter, leaving the table.

Everyone was quiet until Peter came back. "He's not there" he said, worry etching his voice.

"Okay everyone, suit up. Jan, pull up the escalade. Viv, go get the help" Jane hurriedly said, urging the group to get changed to look.

Jan ignited his engine, with Claire in the passenger seat and Vivian and Mark in the back. They drove to the help's mini-manor while the rest scoured the island and the house. Mary and Nicole hopped into the Escalade, and Broo Broo manned the golf cart, carrying Sammi and Gaby in the back.

"Look everywhere" Jane shouted to the help as they drove down a rutted path.

"I knew something was wrong last night. I knew it" Claire said, shivering in her seat.

"Don't sweat it" Jan said, patting her shoulder.

* * *

After hours of looking and no possible lead as to where Kevin was, the group gave up.

"It's not like somebody killed the kid," Michelle said, looking to the group for support.

"There's nobody here that would do it" Jan stated.

"And if there anyone here that is, speak up now so I can beat the shit out of you." Nicole said, eyeing the group. Broo Broo gave her a pat of support.

"Kevin didn't seem comfortable with ya'll, to be honest. This privileged shit really didn't seem to fly with him" he interjected.

"Thanks for the heads up, Azealia" Lauri quipped. Broo Broo shot her a cold glare and Mary patted him on the back.

"Look, maybe he wanted to leave?" Mary questioned. "Maybe he swam to shore?"

"Don't get hopeful. He would've texted them by now" Sammi said, despondent to the group.

"There's no cellphone reception here" Vivian retorted. "The only phones are the landlines in your house and in this one and Kevin knows the number to neither one of them."

"His stuffs still here though. You think he jumped ship without bringing _anything_?" Miranda asked with a twinge of concern.

"He didn't bring anything" Jan replied. "The only thing he brought was some underwear. I was letting him, or was going to let him use my clothes."

"Then he swam away – nothing we can do about it" Vivian shrugged, popping open a bottle of champagne. She poured a glass for everyone.

"To our brave friend, Kevin" she laughed. The others cheered, and Claire felt her chemical balance return to normal.

* * *

The house had launched into full-blown party mode. Jane was leaning against the old record machine in the corner. Mary approached her, the smell of tequila wafting from her mouth.

"You look pretty" she said, eyeing Jane, looking her up and down. Her hand grabbed at Jane's waist.

"Sorry, I don't play for that team" Jane said, pushing Mary's hand away.

"Tonight you do," said Mary, grabbing Jane's face and initiating a kiss. Jane didn't pull away.

"#teamdyke #swaggie" Miranda tweeted, snapping a picture of the two.

Sky Ferreira's song "Untouchable" blasted over the speakers. Michelle had chosen Steven as her prey for the night. She grinded up on him, feeling the music pulse through her body, taking his hands in hers.

"I thought you didn't like me like this" Steven asked, leaning into her.

"Lana taught me to treat every man like he is a golden statue," she said, stuttering out her words in an intoxicated slur.

Gaby and Broo Broo sat on the couch, smoking a blunt.

"You know what pisses me off," Broo Broo shouted.

"The system man. The fuckin' system" Gaby replied, letting out a cloud of smoke.

"Nahhhhh doe." Broo Broo replied. "Nicki Minaj, Nicki Minaj."

Jan sat with Nicole, Lauri, Claire, and Alex, sharing a beer and talking about their plans for tomorrow. Alex began to complain about how there was no Starbucks when Claire cut him short.

"Shh. I'm playing right now" Claire sniped, hushing Alex.

"This isn't you" Lauri said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes it is" Claire said.

"No, it's Sky Ferreira" said Jan, making a 'duh' motion with his hands.

"None of you understand" said Claire, shrinking into the couch.

* * *

In the distance, outside of the raging music, a figure shifted through the darkness. It was planning its next move to make, and determining when to strike. A party seemed like the perfect time to snatch someone up, the figure pondered. Running to the back of the house, the figure opened the porch door, and hid itself in a closet, its cold knife pressing against its pocket.


	5. Chapter 5 - Poolside

"So when Kevin went missing, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. They figured he ran away?" Mike questioned, looking sternly in Ke$ha's direction. She knew something he didn't, and he could feel it. Since the survivors could not be located. She knew so much detail, so much precision as to what happened that night. It was like she was there – but she wasn't.

"What are you hiding?" he said, his mouth twitching at the side.

"Nothing. You have my alibi; you have my sources and references. There is nothing that would possibly lead anyone to believe it was me, and you know it" she said, looking Mike dead in the eyes. The fact that her vision didn't move, her voice didn't falter, and her hands didn't shake with fear were surefire signs she was telling the truth.

"I'm sorry for my outburst," he said, apologizing to her. "Continue."

* * *

The smell of smoke and booze wafted through the house, reaching even the highest rafter. The friends were all dispersed throughout the large downstairs. Mauro was in the kitchen, doing the dishes. He despised his ranking within the help. Vivian treated all of them as equals but him, and he was always the singular one left to do the dirty work. He hated Vivian's friend as well. They made a mess of the house, leaving bottles and cans littered throughout the long halls. Jane had decided to drink even more after her mini-hookup session with Mary and ended up puking all over the kitchen floor. While Mauro was compensated for his job, he always felt left out of the fun that the rest of the help got to experience. He didn't party with them, although he desperately wished to get closer to Claire, a girl he was beginning to develop feelings for. He sighed, getting back to his work.

A shout came from the hallway. Vivian was screaming in a fit of rage. Miranda had taken it upon herself to graffiti the walls in bright red. Mauro approached the hallway, scared to see what he would find.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Miranda questioned, admiring her creation.

Written on the wall in front of Mauro, the bright red letters read '#collegeswag'

Christine had decided to initiate a game of spin the bottle. Jan tumbled over to the group, follow by Vivian, Nicole, Alex, Peter, Steven, and Michelle.

"You know, he's not really drunk," Alex whispered, motioning to Jan. "He does it all the time – he pretends to get shot up and acts a mess. Nobody actually knows when he's _really _drunk. I guess it's open for interpretation" he mused as he pushed his long brown hair out of his eyes.

"Ready?" Christine asked.

"Aye Captain!" Michelle gurgled, clearly inebriated.

Christine gave the bottle a spin. It pointed its head at Vivian. The group 'oooOOooo'ed' at the bottles decision.

Vivian spun it this time; it's rotating cap becoming lost in a frenzy of motion. It landed on Jan.

"I only do tongue" Vivian slurred, smiling at Jan.

"Fine by me" he said back. The two kissed while the group groaned. Gaby wolf-whistled from the corner of the room.

"Slut" Christine mumbled.

Vivian broke the action.

"Excuse Me," she said, glaring at Christine, her blonde locks curling around her ribs, nestling themselves on her chest.

"I didn't say anything" Christine retreated.

"Yeah, you did" Vivian shouted. She picked up the empty Svedka bottle from the floor.

"What the fu-" Christine began to say, before Vivian smashed the bottle over her head. Christine reeled back, screaming. Vivian tumbled out of the room. Jane yelled at Vivian, chastising her for her actions.

"You fucking cunt" Jane yelled at her over the music, cornering her in the kitchen by the windows. The bass throbbed in Vivian's ears.

"At least my breath doesn't smell like one" Vivian giggled, motioning towards Mary.

Jane looked at Vivian and decided whether or not to smack her right then and there, but decided it wasn't worth it. She pulled out a 'First-Aid' box from the fine-polished wooden cabinets and gave Vivian a cold stare before leaving the room. Jane tended Christine's wounds as her face puffed up with tears. Luckily, Vivian didn't hit her hard enough to require stitches, but she drew enough blood to cause concern.

* * *

The rest of the party continued as normal. Michelle leaned against the railing, smoking a cigarette. With every puff she blew out, she exaggerated the pucker of her lips. A twig snapped in the distance, reverberating off of the hollow porch and sullen trees. Michelle took no notice – thinking it was an animal.

The figure had escaped the house after the fight erupted, thinking it was unsafe to be in such a crowded area. He was waiting outside with baited breath when Michelle appeared on the porch.

He watched her sway side to side, her hips moving melodically to the rhythm of the drums emitting from the house. Her dark brown hair swung from shoulder to shoulder; carry itself with every move she made. Her green eyes lit up from the reflection off the moon bouncing off the lake, making her appearance more cat-like. Her dark skin contrasted the white tank top she was wearing, and her daisy duke jean shorts ruffled with every movement of her hips.

Another twig snapped, this time closer and louder. She snuffed out her cigarette, realizing that the noise was too loud for any animal inhabiting the island to make.

"Hello?" she shouted, her voice quivering. A breeze drafted up from the lake, sending goose bumps up her arms. She asked the same question again to the woods, and they returned no answer.

A figure grabbed her arms. She whipped her head around and screamed.

"JESUS CHRIST" yelled Claire, silencing her. Michelle was shivering and her eyes watered. "I just saw you out here and wanted to say hi."

The figure retreated back into the darkness, approaching the back porch, attempting to make its way inside again.

* * *

After talking to Steven and Nicole for what seemed like hours, Jan retreated to the shower. He undressed, turning on the tap, waiting for the water to warm itself. Once inside the shower, he began to hum along to the music emitting from the first floor, the noise so loud it drowned out all other sounds. He washed himself up, running shampoo through his hair, making sure to keep his eyes closed to avoid burning.

The door creaked open.

A shadow emerged out of the darkness. It stood facing the curtain, Jans singing and the music below drowning out any noise other than itself. The figure drew closer and closer, trying to visualize the body within the water.

Jan turned his face, opening his eyes. He saw a shadow outside of the curtain.

"Who is it?" he yelled, worry creeping through his voice.

The figure retreated back out of the room and slammed the door. Jan jumped when he heard the noise, and quickly got out of the shower. He tried himself off, making sure his short, jet black hair looked presentable, and throwing on a loose J-crew sweater, a pair of dark brown jeans, and some red Vans.

He ran down to the living room and slammed the power button on the speakers, his hair still dripping wet with water. Everyone in the room let out an exasperated moan and yelled at him to turn it back on. Mauro shouted 'Gracias' loudly from the kitchen.

"Who the fuck was just in the bathroom while I was taking a shower" he questioned. "And don't even bother with this 'It was a ghost'shit because I know damn well it was a living, breathing human being"

"Boo I be a ghost arrr" Claire stuttered, spilling her drink.

"No, you're Claire," Lauri lectured.

"No, this is Patrick!" Miranda shouted from the back of the room. Jan shot all of them a death glare.

"Everyone was down here" Nicole said, looking innocently at Jan. "We would have seen someone walk up the stairs since they're literally right in front of us," she said, highlighting her expertise on the layout of the house.

"And besides" Mary chimed in. "Who would someone intentionally spy on you in the shower?" she asked quizzically, her blue eyes giving out a look of curiosity.

"Yeah." Vivian added. "It's not like your some prized Adonis." Michelle spit out her drink.

"You were all up on him less than an hour ago" Broo Broo sassed. "I ain't here for triflin' hoes," he said, snapping his fingers. Sammi gave him a 'right on' fist bump, glaring at Vivian.

"I **pay** for you," she said. Both retreated into their seats.

"Either way, whoever did it, don't do it again" Jan shouted, giving the group a warning stare. They all shrugged, and the music began reverberating through the house again.

* * *

A young woman lounged, bathing in the pool. The bright moonlight reflected off of the surface, outlining the contours of her body. She twirled and spun, flicking tiny droplets into the air. Her hair dragged behind her, wisping around in the bubbling water.

A figure stood a few yards away, watching her, examining her. The music thumped loudly from the house. She was alone in the pool, with nobody to see her. The figure took into consideration that somebody could be at the window, but they would have to be pressed directly up against the window to see anything. The figure crept closer, the sound of the bass-booming music inside drowning out his footsteps.

The girl rose out of the pool, and began to make her way to the table. The figure rushed out of the darkness, grabbing the girl and slamming her into the deck. Before she could scream, the figure punched her in the face, rendering her mouth temporarily unusable – the only sound emitting from her - a soft grunt. The figured duct-taped her mouth shut, and made sure her wrists and legs and bound by wrapping the tape in circles around both extensions.

"This won't hurt a bit," the killer whispered with malice, as he slung the girl over his shoulders. The figure began the descent down to the beach. "You'll be joining your friend Kevin soon" he said.

It was at that moment that the young girl knew her fate. She had suspected it all along, that Kevin had been murdered. There's no way he would've swam the length across the lake, and there's no way he could have made it back to mainland on his own. She tried to scream and yell, but to no avail. Her jaw was throbbing and she was bound.

The figure threw her on the ground and gave her no time for a final word. The figure drove its blade straight into her heart, twisting it at the core. The girl let out a final, muffled scream before her head lolled, and her limbs went loose. The figure picked her up and tossed her into the lake, pushing her towards the depths. Her body would go on to lie next to Kevin's on the warm lake floor. The figure was less picky about the blood this time, and picked up the piles of sand, tossing them into the lake. The deed was done.

* * *

By the end of the night, the party had simmered down. The drinkers had passed out, asleep, and the help left the house, beginning their trek home. Anyone awake and half-functional said goodbye.

At one in the morning, the phone rang. Jane picked it up

"We cant find Sammi" Nicole said, the phone shaking in her hand.

"She probably passed out in the woods, go to bed," said Jane, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, a headache pounding through her head.

"No, we don't even think she walked home with us. Broo Broo and Mary said they didn't see her. Gaby said the last time she saw her was when she went swimming."

"She's not out there" said Jane, scanning the back porch and the pool, the floodlights making the water dance with refracted light.

"Just go to bed. We'll find her in the morning. Chances are she's sleeping on the beach."

"Okay" Nicole said, thanking Jane and hanging up.

That night, Nicole lay awake in her bed. Her mind was racing, her heat beating at an unhealthy rate. The forehead was sweaty and her palms were clammy. She knew something was wrong, and she could feel it in her gut. This sort of feeling wasn't wrong, and she was right.

A figure stood outside of her window, watching the delicate girl twist and turn. It smiled as it faded into the darkness.


	6. Chapter 6 - Paddle

"They were being picked off one by one. They were like little ants under a teenager's microscope. They had nowhere to run, and there certainly wasn't any place to hide. It was like the killer was omnipresent. What's even worse is that they didn't even know there was a killer until the sixth person was already dead. They were trapped and fooled, and they didn't even know it."

Ke$ha had taken little time to examine her surroundings during her interview. The walls were made of a thick, greyish, blocky substance – she assumed it was clay. The table that separated her and Mike was black, with silver stands, and reflected the light from the single bulb above them. It was dim, but she could see well enough to make out Mike's facial expressions, most of which remained static during the interview.

'Why didn't any of them question the fact that they're friends were dropping like flies?" he questioned, looking up from his paper to face her.

"They just all assumed they had run away. They were so stupid. Even after they found-" she stammered.

"Found what?"

* * *

Jane went through the house at precisely nine-o'clock in the morning, waking everybody up.

"Sammie's missing" she whispered to Vivian. Vivian rose, rubbing her eyelids and face. A look of concern immediately shot to her face and her cheery morning smile faded. Her blonde hair was tangled and messy, running along the length of her face. Her grey V-neck collected some of the hair inside of itself, pressing it against her body. Her black eye makeup from the night before was smeared, and her light pink lipstick had faded.

"What the fuck do you mean?" Vivian mumbled, rolling over.

"I mean Sammie's missing. Get your lazy ass out of bed" Jane said, pushing Vivian's body to the edge of the bed. Vivian lost her balance, landing on the finished hardwood floor with a loud 'thump'

Jane continued making the rounds. She found Miranda sleeping on the stairwell and kicked her. Miranda grunted, drool spilling out of her mouth. She continued through the house, waking up every individual room. She walked into Claire's room, Michelle nowhere to be found.

"Where's Michelle?" Jane questioned. Claire gave her a sassy, half-assed 'I don't know.'

Michelle's voice came cooing from the rafters. She was supporting herself with the bed-sheets, tying them around the wooden beams to lift her.

"_I was in the winter of my life, and the men I met along the road were my only summer._" She said, her brown hair curling around her face. "_At night I fell asleep with visions of myself, dancing and laughing and crying with them.__Three years down the line of being on an endless world tour, and my memories of them were the only things that sustained me, and my only real happy times. __I was a singer - not a very popular one,__I once had a dreams of becoming a beautiful poet, but upon an unfortunate series of events some of those dreams dashed and divided like a million stars in the night sky that I wished on over and over again, sparkling and broken,"_ her voice cooed.

"Get down here" Jane sighed, motioning for Michelle to come towards her. The bed sheets loosened and she descended to the ground, her toes landing first in a graceful landing.

"She's insane, if you haven't noticed" Claire whispered, stroking her Sky Ferreira pillow.

* * *

Lauri and Mark were the first downstairs. Both voiced genuine concern for the disappearance of Sammie, but Lauri insisted that it was coincidental and she probably just fell asleep in the woods.

"We said the same thing about Kevin" Mark said. Lauri looked down at her bowl of cereal. She was surprised Kevin hadn't even given them a moment's notice as to where he was or where he was going. It almost seems as if he had vanished completely from the face of the island.

"Jan, pull up the escalade" Jane yelled; giving the room of feeling of Déjà vu from the day Kevin disappeared. Jane gathered everyone together and shuffled him or her into search groups. Jan drove with Claire, Steven, and Vivian, rushing to the helps house. Broo Broo manned the golf cart the second time, taking Mauro and Gaby with him. Mary and Nicole hopped into the car.

"I'm really worried" Claire said, Nicole co-signed, sharing her sentiment. The car ride was silent until Mary broke the ice surrounding everyone's tongues.

"What if they're dead?" she asked.

Jan slammed on the brakes, and Claire lurched forward, narrowly missing the dashboard. Nicole flew into Vivian, hitting her in the ribs. Steven flew into Mary's seat, pushing her into Jan's back, his seat pressing his body to the horn.

"Why the FUCK would you say that" Steven yelled at her.

"I don't know. I'm scared. We've never had any problems working here all year and then two people go missing in the span of two days. Sammie was one of my best friends and she just disappeared like that," she said, snapping her fingers on the word 'that'. Tears began flowing from her eyes while Vivian and Nicole comforted her. Claire gave Steven a look of apathy while Jan put the car back into gear.

They nearly turned the island inside out. They searched every tree, every bush, every pond or burrow. They searched the beach, and the pool. Every rock was upturned, while Miranda complained, yelling 'She isn't Patrick.'

* * *

All had returned to the four-story cabin-manor.

"We have a lot of ground to cover" Vivian said, using her hands to emphasize how large the house really was. "Steven, you and Claire go check the basement," she shouted, leading everyone else in different directions.

The basement was large and flat. Vivian's parents had decided against building a finished basement due to the fact that if there were ever too much rain, the lake water would flood the entire basement and cause the house to begin rotting. Aside of some metal beams, the basement was a division of a bunch of cubicles. Each cubicle housed a different set of switches and power lines, each leading to separate utilities. The basement, due to the house being so large, was nicknamed 'the maze' by Steven. Anyone could be hiding down there, and anything could be living there.

"This place is huge," he said, his voice echoing off of the walls. "We need to split up."

"No we don't" Claire said, folding her arms. A chill went up her spine.

"Yes we do. If we want to get the hell out of here, we need to work, and work fast." Steven walked away, searching each cubicle. Claire followed suit. There were probably sixty-something cubicles, covering a vast, empty space.

Steven was examining the boiler room. A figure darted behind him, his tiptoe steps clacking against the linoleum.

"Hello?" Steven shouted.

"What is it?" Claire yelled from what seemed like a mile away, her voice echoing off of the walls.

"Never mind" he shouted again.

The two finished their work and began making their way towards the steps. A shuffling sound came from behind them.

"What the fuck was that" Claire gulped. A shadow rushed by them and she screamed.

"Move" Steven said sternly, his green eyes widening. "MOVE" he shouted even louder, his tanned fingers pushing Claire's statue-frozen body into motion. He had known Claire for over two years, and protecting her was at the top of his priority list. Her brown, straight hair bounced and flailed as they ran. The figure came closer and closer, brushing past Claire's leg as she yelped.

They made it upstairs, gasping for breath. Claire was shivering, and began to cry. Steven held her tightly, stroking her back, breathing heavily. Steven shouted for help, and everyone assembled near the basement, the large hallways accommodating the horde of bodies.

"What the fuck happened" Peter yelled, pushing through the crowd.

"Someone was down there! Someone… Someone was chasing us!" Claire shouted. The group gasped in disbelief. Mary's eyes widened, her prediction beginning to take form in front of her very eyes.

"Oh, cut the crap" Jane shouted from the back. She had been to this cabin time and time again, and new well enough what had happened.

"You said it brushed against your leg?" she asked. Claire nodded quickly, her blue eyes bouncing up and down.

"No serial killer, pedophile, or homeless man rubs someone's leg while they're running. They grab legs, not pet them. It was an animal, probably a raccoon or a big rat," Jane stated, looking around the room. Gaby let out an awkward giggle.

"Maybe Jane's right. You don't just rub up on someone while you're running" Gaby shrugged. The faces in the room turned for horror stricken to relaxed. Everyone concurred with Gaby and Jane's sentiments, becoming calmer with the notion that some creep wasn't living in their basement.

"I know what I saw!" Claire shouted, her face red with anxiety.  
"We couldn't see anything," Steven said, ushering Claire to agree with the group. She reluctantly admitted her mistake, and the group returned to scouring the house.

* * *

After hours of searching, they gave up.

"Look," Nicole said, drawing the group's attention. "Sammie never liked this job, she never liked anyone here, and she hated doing her work. She probably saw that Kevin ran away and took it as an incentive to leave."

The group nodded along, following her story and examining her details. They all came to a similar conclusion.

"Nobody is dead and that's a fact," Vivian said. "Stop trying to ruin this trip. I'm going to get on a jet ski and enjoy myself. Who's in?" Vivian questioned, shaking her hips from side to side.

Everyone in the group put their swimsuits on, heading out back.

The stretch of land known as "the beach" sat behind the house, underneath the infinity pool, slightly forward. The sand was artificial and the rocks constructed specifically for the area. It looked like something out of a 'Town & Home' article. Jet skis and kayaks lined the watershed to the right of the beach. A motorboat floated, parked near an artificial dock. The sun was high in the sky, it's beams radiating off of the surface of the lake. The water twinkled while the lake remained clear and pristine.

Steven and Jan had decided to go kayaking with Lauri and Miranda. Their paddles cut through the glistening water, making ripples as they moved along.

"It's so beautiful," Lauri murmured, staring out into the distance.

Michelle was sunbathing on the shoreline.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Peter said aloud.

"Don't bother me" she said, her heart shaped glasses refracting the sunlight. "I need to get my skin to the right pigment and pucker my lips the right way so they crinkle into the exact shape of Lana's."

Vivian, Mark, Claire, and Jane were gossiping over afternoon martinis, the pink glasses clinking as they relaxed outside of the baby blue pool. Mauro fanned the three as they giggled.

"Fan faster" Claire demanded. When his face appeared confused, she shouted "Más rápido, usted babuino." Vivian let out a chortle.

Nicole, Broo Broo, Gaby, and Mary were swimming in the pool, splashing and dancing along with the water; it's rippling motions tracing their bodies. Mary shoved Broo Broo under the bubbles.

"My weave!" he screeched, jumping out of the water.

Claire had decided to go swimming in the lake. She saw Jan, Lauri, Steven, and Miranda kayaking in the distance. She gave them a wave. Her sleek figure cut through the water as she paddled out into a deeper region.

"There's no animals in the lake, right?" Claire questioned.

"Nah. My parents had it chemically bombed so no life forms other than plants could exist.

Claires body relaxed, her arms pulsing through the depths. This was her time to relax and to unwind. She let her body rise to the surface, thinking about all that her and her friends had planned out for their getaway. This was her own personal paradise, her own mental island. She traced the water with her fingers, letting it drizzle in and out of her hands. She began to swim again, her arms wind milling through the water; her legs paddling through the lake.

She stopped for a moment, treading water. Her toes kicked at the bottom of the lake. Without realizing it, her foot had caught itself in something.

After her short tread, she went to swim back to the beach to join her friends. Lauri and the kayaking group had returned, and she was the only one still in the water. Her leg caught whatever had latched on to her, and she screamed.

"What is it?" Michelle shouted from the shoreline. The group all stood up, and Vivian and Jane rushed down from the porch.

"Something's got me!" Claire yelped. She was still able to swim, but the object tied around her foot made it considerable hard.

"I can make it" she yelled from the lake, breathing heavily with every kick of her leg and pull of her arm.

When she made it to the edge of the water, Jan grabbed her arms, using his strength to tug her out of the water. A rope had caught her foot.

"My parents must have accidentally left that there during construction" Vivian said, concern crossing her face. Jan tugged at the rope, and Alex helped him heave.

"Whatever's at the end of this" he huffed "is heavy."

Alex and him gave it one final tug. What appeared out of the water sent a chill up Alex's spine.

Claire reeled back, her face draining of all color. Michelle ran to the rocks, vomiting. Mary's eyes rolled up her eyelids and she fell over, fainting from shock. Vivian gasped, her heart beating at the pace of a cheetahs and whispered "no." Nicole grabbed Broo Broo, who was frozen like a statue. Alex audibly gulped, his throat going dry. Peter sat down on the ground, cupping his hands over his head, and began to cry. Steven turned away, his brain not comprehending the image in front of him. Jane hugged Lauri and started to sob, while Lauri covered her eyes. Mark yelped, unable to scream. Jan fell backwards, his mouth dropped completely open at what he saw. Miranda grabbed Gaby's arm; Gaby mouthing, "this isn't real."

Kevin's body lay in front of them. A noose had been tied around his neck, and his body was partly decomposed, the soaking wet water turning his skin a dark blue.

"He…he…he…killed himself"

* * *

The killer's plan had worked. Not only did the group think Kevin had killed himself, they also didn't see the stab wounds. The group was too terrified to touch the body, and the blood had washed out the stains on his shirt. The only way for someone to find the wounds would be to remove his clothes, something none of them were willing to do. Jane had determined that he had tried hanging himself from the edge of the infinity pool, only to fail, tumbling down into the rocks, breaking his neck.

The killer watched the friend's cry and scream. The plan was put in motion. The figure ran its blade around a tree, tracing it's bumps, before heading back into the woods.


	7. Chapter 7 - Pulse

Ke$ha sat, trembling, recalling more details from the story, her gold tooth glimmering in the dim light. Her eyes were lined with blue, glittery eye shadow, her lips tinted with a pink gloss. She hadn't smiled since she walked in, and Mike was beginning to question if she ever knew what she was talking about

"Do you really know what you're telling me? Are you lying?" Mike questioned.

"Why would I lie? What do I have to hide? You rang my ass in here and I responded. I don't have to comply, you know. I could press charges on you and get the hell out of here. Shut up and sit down" Ke$ha said, glaring at him.

"Tell me what happened next."

"This is when it starts getting freaky" Ke$ha mumbled, looking past Mike.

* * *

Kevins decomposing body lay on the shoreline. The friends had come to a conclusion – suicide. Nobody had been brave enough to remove his clothing, let alone touch the body. They would never know his true fate, since the killer would eventually recollect his body.

"We need to call the police," Vivian said, leading the group inside. They all cluttered into the living room and Jane picked up the phone. Christine sat down, nibbling her fingernails as Lauri comforted her.

"Thank you" Jane said, after explaining the situation to the police.

"The fastest they can be here is in three days. We have no local police, and they're sending over someone from over one hundred miles away. And since it was a suicide, they said it's not a threat like a murder. Since there's no killer on the loose, there's really no point for them to come up so quickly," Jane announced, her voice echoing through the empty halls. The group fell silent as Jane dismissed them upstairs.

"Well, my vacations ruined" Claire said, flopping onto her bead.

"He was Born to Die" Michelle said platonically, shrugging her shoulders.

Jan sat staring out at the beach. Alex approached him, patting him on the back. They hugged as Jane sat in the corner crying. Steven had begun to pack his stuff up.

"I'm getting out of here as fast as I can" Steven said.

"You can't leave," Christine shouted from down the hall. "We have no way home until the helicopter comes to take Jan's car to the other side.

Steven sat on his bed, defeated. Miranda was in her closet, blasting a rap instrumental. She spit bars over the beat, shouting, _"My titties is so saggy, that's why I need my swaggie."_

Michelle lit a candle in the downstairs living room, gathering the friends together.

"Let us sing for our friend Kevin" she said, taking a deep breath in.

"_Fate don't fail me now, take me to the fini-"_ she began, before Jane slapped her across the face. She glared at Jane, shouting _"Choose your last words, this is our last time, cause you and I-"_ Lauri pushed her over.

"You don't understand _**ART**_" Michelle hissed from the wooden floor.

* * *

The group was lounging around the house, sadness running through the rafters. Peter was examining the coastline, looking out into the vast forest beyond the lake. Something caught his eye. A pale, white, ball shaped object was floating in the ocean. Peter tried to figure out what it was, but he was unable to. He flew down the stairs, and ran out to the beach.

A shrill scream emitted from the coastline.

The group of friends herded to the beach. Peter pointed out to the lake. The group reacted the same way when they had seen Kevin's body. Most of them fell to the ground, while some grabbed others. Christine began screaming, and Claire followed suit. Mark slammed his fist into the sand, his arms shaking with fear.

Sammie's body floated in the water, her head sticking out of the clear blue lake like a sore thumb. Steven had volunteered to go and retrieve it, and Jan waded out to help him. Both were disgusted at the notion.

Sammie's body was covered in the stab wounds the killer had left, each becoming rotten over the hours her body had been decomposing. Peters heart was racing, pulsing through his body.

"She was killed" Vivian said, her eyes widening. "She was fucking killed. She's fucking dead." She began screaming in a mixture of rage and fear. "She was fucking killed and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Guys?" Alex questioned, shaking. "Where's Kevin's body?"

Claire turned her head and screamed. Kevin's lifeless body was hanging from the edge of the pool, supported by a large rock. His shirt had been removed; showcasing the gashes in his ribs and back.

"Oh. My. God," Steven gasped. Miranda collapsed. Michelle screamed and yelled, her voice echoing off of the rocks.

"Who did it" Vivian whipped around, screaming at the group. "Nobody was with us on that boat and there's no way some killer would hunt us down all the way to California."

"What if it was planned?" Mark questioned, shaking.

"Who would want to kill us?" Christine questioned.

"Clarisse" Jan mumbled. Jane punched him and Peter shot him a stern glare.

"I just can't believe somebody would do this" Peter mumbled, attempting to collect his thoughts.

* * *

The group was walking back to the forest when they saw Broo Broo running towards them. He was screaming and crying.

"What the fuck is going on?" Vivian shouted.

"They're dead! They're dead!" he screamed, his voice becoming hoarse.

"We know," said Christine, trying to rid her mind of Kevin's dead body.

"No, no!" Broo Broo shouted, pointing in the direction of the help house, tears falling down his face.

The group ran at full speed through the woods to the helps mini-manor. What they saw inside sent them all reeling backwards in disgust.

Mauro had been stabbed at least ten times with a blade that was long enough to cut through his entire body. His mouth dangled open, dried blood crusting around his lips. The words "Please come to Brazil" were written on the walls in his blood. Claire gulped, feeling remorse.

As the group tried to process the fact that Mauro's bloody corpse laid in front of them, they heard a crunching sound from the room over. Lauri went into inspect.

Inside, Gaby sat on the bed, eating something. The rest of the group followed. Gaby saw them, lifting her chin up, revealing Mauro's arm in her palms. A can that read 'BATH SALTS' was tipped over on her bed. Her eyes were wild; her face had drained of color. She snarled at the group, running towards Vivian.

She pinned Vivian against the wall, trying to bite at her face.

A shot rang through the house. Jane had gone and found the rifle in the closet the second she saw Gaby's wild eyes. Claire had collapsed into a corner, crying.

"This is too FUCKING much" Steven yelled, placing his palms on his forehead.

* * *

Christine turned to Broo Broo, whose mouth was open, agape at Gaby's twitching corpse.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she asked. The group turned to face Broo Broo. "You were the only one here."

"But Mary and Nicole, they aren't dead! They got away! I didn't do it ya'll, I promise! I promise." He placed his hands over his eyes and began to cry.

"You fucking did it and you know it" said Vivian, a smile of victory crossing her face.

Broo Broo stood up and smacked her right across the face. The group gasped, and Michelle mumbled, "yes" under her breath.

"I'm done taking shit from you, you horse-faced deranged bitch" Broo Broo said before walking out of the room. He ran to the front of the house, flinging open the front door. The group followed him outside of the house.

"My father will END you" Vivian shouted as Broo Broo walked towards the shoreline.

"I don't give a shit what your whack ass father has to say. He was dumb enough to breed an ugly broad like you so he can't be too intelligent to begin with. And also, 'Viv'" he spat sarcastically, "I've taken enough _shit_ from you over the past two years to literally build a tower out of."

"You need an attitude check you fucking loser," Vivian shouted. "And you're not getting your last paycheck"

"You know what?" Broo Broo sniped. "You can take that paycheck and shove it up your hairy a-"

A 'fwip' came out of the air. Broo Broo collapsed onto the grass, an arrow shooting straight through his head. Peter yelled "NO!" while Michelle fell into the house. A figure darted into the woods.

"Get to the house." Vivian shouted. "Now!"

* * *

Inside the house they found Mary and Nicole, both covered in dirt and blood, crying.

"If it was either of you two speak now or forever hold your peace" Jane yelled, pointing the gun at them.

"It wasn't us," Nicole cried. "The person came in right after we heard you guys scream from finding the bodies. He tied up Mauro and killed him and gave Gaby the bath salts, knowing she couldn't resist. Me, Broo Broo, and Mary hid in the closet."

Tears fell out of Mary's eyes. "We saw the bodies. I knew it." Jane walked over to her, hugging her and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Lock the doors" Jan said. "We're camping in here tonight. Mark, call the police."

Mark ran over to the living room phone while the entire household sprung into action, locking all of the doors and windows. Mark gasped from the living room.

"What's wrong?" Alex shouted.

"The lines… They're cut."

* * *

In the forest, the killer's eyes darted as he watched the teens lock the house up. Vivian's parent's had built the house with maximum security, so the killer would have to find a way to lure the friends out. It sat in the brush, stroking its palms. The only gun was the one Jane had taken, so shooting out the glass was no option. It would have to make its way in, and fast. The police would be there in three days time, so it had to act fast.

Tossing its knife from hand to hand, it devised a plan.


	8. Chapter 8 - Pull

"After this, they were all dropping like flies. They just kept dying and dying, one after another. What I found so weird about this creep is that he didn't do it in any specific order; he just picked the person that was there, right in front of him. He wanted to get them out of the picture before the police came, because if they knew there was a killer on the island, he would be a goner."

Ke$ha sat, explaining the inevitable truth to Mike.

"There's not much time to chat, Ms. Sebert. Continue your story."

"You act like I'm telling you a fucking children's story" she spat.

"_**Continue**_, Ms. Sebert" Mike said, pounding his fist on the table.

* * *

The group had locked themselves inside. The glass doors had automatic shades covering them, and everyone in the house was armed, with Jane carrying the gun from the helps house. Steven and Michele held automatic handguns that had been kept within the house as a safety precaution, and Claire held a flare-gun. The rest of the group carried a variation of knifes or bats, with Peter carrying a golf club.

"I worked with them for three years" Nicole mumbled, in disbelief of her friends passing. She was curled up on the couch, a hot chocolate nestled between her hands.

Although the deaths of the help were shocking, the group felt relatively apathetical towards them. Most of them were more concerned about Kevin, his body still hanging from the pool. None of them had dared to traipse outside since they realized a murder was on the loose.

Mark sat, twisting the mangled telephone wire. All of the lines in the house had been meticulously cut, one by one. Even the ones locked away in the bedrooms. Vivian cursed and screamed at the fact that cell service did not reach the island, throwing her iPhone across the room in a fit of rage. The group mourned the fact that they had nowhere to go, and nowhere to be safe.

"I can't believe this is going on" Claire said, looking blankly at the television that was playing episodes of Jersey Shore. Miranda attempted to tweet '#guidoswag', but due to the lack of service, was unable to. She threw her phone to the ground, cursing at it.

Mary sat cuddled in Janes arms. They had gone to the wine cabinet and had a little too much of the many bottles of Pinot Grigio stored in the chilled area. Jane was twirling Mary's hair through her fingers, whispering into her ears, trying to cheer her up. Mary sat there with a blank face, unresponsive.

Michelle glared at Jane from across the room.

"Jesus is Lana's bestest friend. I don't think he would appreciate your sinful actions" Michelle quipped, downing another shot of tequila.

Peter and Mark seemed like the only ones really affected by Broo Broo's death. Mark had been crying ever since he'd seen the body – so much to the extent that Claire had called him a pussy. Peter could not contemplate the fact that someone would do this, and wondered if it was one of his very own friends.

Jan sat with Vivian and Alex, trying to convince them that the best thing to do was to try to escape the island and swim to mainland. Alex wasn't having any of it, complaining that he would rather die a slow, painful death than have his hair jeopardized. Vivian told him that they were going to stick it out, and watching your friend's die was a good life experience that will 'roughen your edges' in the long run.

"I think your being pretty stupid about this entire thing," he mumbled as Alex shot him a cold glare.

Christine sat in the kitchen, crying. She had tried to find fryers and grease but was unable to. She had broken down into a fit before throwing uncooked patties from the kitchen at Michelle, yelling, "You don't know what it's like to be a true blue collar employee!"

* * *

There was no noise the entire night, until a smash came from outside the house. Claire cupped her mouth, while Jane grabbed Mary.

Peter ran to look out the window.

A giant garden pot came flying at the window. The group screamed as it bounced off of the glass. A figure stood before them, holding Broo Broo's head in his hand. Mary ran to the bathroom, puking. Jane stood up from the floor.

"I'm SO done with this shit" Jane said, unlocking the door and flinging it open.

"NO!" screamed Steven. It was too late.

Jane ran outside, cocking the shotgun at the figure. He lurched into motion, running away from her. She fired three shots. The final shot hit a fireworks storage tin, setting off the crackler's inside.

They darted in every direction, lighting off near every tree and burrow. Colors splashed the foundation, lighting grass and trees on fire. One ricocheted into the house, narrowly missing Steven's head. It exploded, sending sparks in every direction, one nearly lighting the TV on fire. Jane reeled backwards as the figure ran into the distance.

"It's gone," Jane mumbled, slamming the door and locking it. She pulled the screen into place.

"There's no way it can get in," Peter said, smiling, a look of astonishment crossing his face. "The house is literally foolproof."

"When I said my parents built it to be indestructible I meant it" Vivian smiled. She was proud of her family's efforts.

"I can't believe it was holding Broo Broo's head…" Nicole sighed, a shiver passing through her body. The image of her friend's decapitated head would not leave her memory any time soon. She could see the fresh blood spilling from the cut wound, dried blood cloaking his mouth. She couldn't get the sound of the arrow impaling Broo Broo's head out of her head either. The short but dangerous noise wouldn't leave her alone, and she sat and wondered if the same thing would happen to her.

* * *

Vivian gathered the group together.

"We have to develop a strategy. This creep is obviously out to get us, and all of us are deer in the headlights. Him or Her obviously knows the layout of the house very well, to the point where it knew how to access the beach and the help house. They know each of us and who we are at this point, but I'm doubtful they really care. They're not out to get us in order, judging by the fact that there hasn't been any pattern. They're here to kill, and if we even make a move to stop it, we're dead meet."

Vivian looked at the group sternly, and everyone nodded their heads.

"Right now there's not much we can do," she continued. "We only have to start worrying once it manages to worm its way into the house, which, hopefully, won't happen."

Christine shuddered.

"We're going to have to defend different parts of the house, however, which means were going to have to split up." Vivian said, a look of worry crossing everyone's faces.

"That's a stupid idea, Viv" Jan said, reprimanding her suggestion. "Don't you know that when you split up you have a two hundred million percent chance of dying a gruesome death?"

"I didn't mean alone, dumbass" Vivian shot. "I meant in groups of two."

She put the group to action.

"Steven and Jan, you're holding up the porch doors. Lauri and Mark, you're manning the basement door. Jane, you and me will take the front door since you have the rifle. Claire, you're with Michelle. Only use the flare gun when necessary. Alex and Christine, you two guard the second floor landing. Peter and Miranda, you two guard the back doors. Nicole and Mary, you two take the third floor landing" Vivian shouted, directing everyone to their respected areas.

"Get ready to fight for your life"

* * *

Mark stood, trembling with Lauri. His skinny knees buckled and shook like willow trees in a harsh breeze. Lauri stood stoic, her brown hair dangling near her collarbones. While she could be considered one of the physically weaker ones in the group, due to her skinny build, she was more or less the strongest emotionally. Most of the deaths had left her un-phased, and even Kevin's didn't strike a chord within her being.

"Lauri, how are you so relaxed right now" Mark chattered, running his hands through his dirty blonde hair. His blue eyes glimmered in the moonlight, gesturing Lauri for a response.

"I've seen people die before" she replied coolly. "I watched one of my best friends get shot in a gang fight one time. Someone was killed in a club when I was DJ'ing right before my eyes. You just have to realize death is real and accept it, and accept the fact that you may die one day, whether it is deserved or intentional. Once you can do that, you're not scared of it anymore."

Mark gulped, shrinking to the ground. The mere possibility of being killed was not acceptable. What would his parents think? The mere thought of a child dying sickened him to the point of nausea.

Claire and Michelle stood in the kitchen, looking out of the bay windows for any sign of life, and keeping a steady eye on the backyard door. Claire twirled the flare gun in her fingers; it's blue body swinging in and out of her hand.

"Do you ever think of death?" she asked Michelle.

"Every body is Born To Die. It's just there" Michelle replied, wondering if Claire would take her Lana reference as a childish joke.

"I know that, Michy, but why are we? What if we die right now?"

"I think God and Jesus plan out our deaths. Marilyn Monroe, bless her, was meant to die. Her suicide was no coincidence; the angels up in heaven had planned it. Lana wants to die like that too, like, be taken away by the angels. So do I."

Miranda stood by the large French doors leading outside, singing Robin Thicke off-key. Peter leaned against the wall, drinking a bottle of fresh maple syrup, practicing his moose calls.

"I though you was Asian?" Miranda questioned.

"I am. I just wasn't born in china" Peter rebutted.

"All Asian people are born in china. It's a fact," Miranda said, rolling her eyes.

Jan and Steven were busy bickering about what stems they had.

"I have the solo vocals from Supernatural and the acapella hasn't even been released yet!" Jan yelled, staring him down.

"Oh yeah?" Steven retorted. "I have Woo x Hoo (Steal Your Baby Sister)… in HD."

Jan gasped, reeling backwards. "You do NOT!" he shouted. Steven nodded his head.

"Well you must think your hot shit!" Jan screeched. "I have the unreleased vocoded farts from Blah Blah Blah… in lossless."

Steven fainted.

Christine was consumed by guilt.

"What will my manager think?" she gulped to Alex. The guilt of dying with an active duty at McDonalds was too much to bear

"Christine, that man ABUSES you. He shoves you into pans and beats you with frozen patties. He's no good."

"What if I told you I liked it…?" Christine stammered.

* * *

The killer had successfully managed to break one of the ceiling windows on the third floor. While this was beneficial for him, it was problematic as well, due to the fact that they were too small for a human to possibly fit through. He would have to make use of his surroundings. He lowered a thin black rope into the hallway, waiting with baited breath.

Mary and Nicole were walking through the long, empty space, their steps echoing off of the walls. They carried their weapons in their hands; Nicole, a bat, and Mary, a large Machete-like cutting knife. Both knew the emergency signal if anything happened – bang on the walls as loudly as you can.

"I wonder who he'll off next," Mary said, looking at Nicole.

"He won't kill any of us. He can't" Nicole said, smiling at Mary with a look of empathy.

A tug pulled at Nicole's foot.

"What the hell is that?" she said. She tried walking forwards again, only to be restrained again.

"Something's got me! Something's got me!" she screamed, panic etching her voice.

"Just grab my hand!" Mary shouted.

Before either of them could think, Nicole was yanked backwards. Her body fell flat onto the floor, and began to move backwards. A thin black rope was attached to her ankle. Mary chased after her, screaming her lungs out.

"Help me!" Nicole screamed, her mouth agape as she flew towards the banister over the stairwell. She was clawing at the wooden floors, blood forming around her fingernails.

Mary was finally able to grab Nicole's hand.

"Don't let go! Don't fucking let go!" she screamed, tears pouring out of her eyes.

The rope gave one final tug, and Nicole went flying backwards, off of the banister. Her body plummeted down three stories before landing in the middle of the living room with a definitive 'crack.' Blood pooled around her body, her neck twisted in an unnerving direction. Her eyes were distant, staring at something that wasn't there, as if still beckoning for help.

Mary broke down into tears, screaming, as a black rope descending from the ceiling.

* * *

The killer stood on the roof, looking though its tiny porthole. It saw the friend scream, cry, and hugs each other, circling around the body. The death had brought so much commotion that they did not realize one very, very important detail.

One of them was missing from the group, staring down at them through the opening.

The figure let out a giggle and maneuvered down to the ground, preparing its next kill.


	9. Chapter 9 - Push

"Something's not adding up," Mike said, thinking aloud in the small, dark space. "How can everyone not notice when one of them isn't there?"

"When there's a dead body lying on the floor not much can take your attention away from it" Ke$ha replied, examining her fingernails.

"You seem unbothered by most of this" Mike said, despondently staring at her.

"Don't even try it you little nipple pincher. I cried for days."

"Who's death bothered you the least?"

"All of them bothered me" she said, rolling her eyes at the asinine question presented to her.

"Pick one specifically"

"Kevin's."

"Why?"

"I hate my black fans."

* * *

The fog rolled around the island. A cold spell had been placed on the area, causing the lake to emit an eerie steam. It clung to the trees, wisping around the branches, resting on the leaves. It surrounded the house; it's lights only giving out a faint glow under the power of the mist. The lake sat uncomfortably quiet, the fish not even kicking up so much as an occasional splash. Inside, the group sat uncomfortably quiet as Nicole's body lay in front of them.

Vivian returned from her bedroom. "If this doesn't work, I don't know what will," she mumbled, plugging in a small black box into the wall. She pressed a switch, a beep emitting from the box.

Suddenly, all of the cellphones in the room let out noises of notifications from the past days. Worried texts from their parents, Facebook messages, phone calls.

"It fucking worked!" Vivian shouted, jumping around the room. Everyone ran into their rooms, attempting to phone the police and their parents. However, upon making their calls, an unfortunate and terrifying change occurred.

A raspy, concealed voice rang over the lines.

"Nice try" it baited.

Michelle's heart sank. Claire let out a non-believing 'no'. Jane mumbled 'fuck' under her breath, and Christine threw her phone across the room in fear.

"Bodies are pale, blood is red, come for me, and you'll be dead."

Miranda screamed from the closet, and Steven sank into his pillow. Mary began to cry, and Alex dipped his head in disappointment.

"You think you can stop me?" the voice teased. "I'm going to get every last one of you. You can run, you can scream, you can shoot all you want. Your blood will be the last thing on my hands – that is, unless you kill yourselves while you're at it."

With a final cackle, the voice disappeared.

* * *

The group herded into the living room, looking like a disjointed mess.

"We have to do something!" Alex cried. Claire co-signed his movement, while Peter shook his head in agreement. Steven nibbled on his fingernails, while Michelle pouted in the corner, puckering her lips, an empty bottle of Patron in her hands.

"Were not just going to pick up a gun and shoot the guy. It knows the place better than anyone, even Me, Jane, and Mary. Now that Nicole is gone, we're the only ones who know the full layout of this place, or at least the general direction of everything. We need to stick together; no more of this splitting up bullshit unless were in groups. Nicole died because her and Mary weren't paying attention. That death was totally preventable, but it happened and there's nothing we can do about it. We need to find this 'thing' and fast, before it kills all of us. It doesn't have a motive, it's just killing to kill" Vivian said, huffing.

"But what if it does have a motive?" Lauri replied. "What if we did something that would warrant a need to kill us? What wrongs have you all committed in the past? What have you done that someone could deem 'evil' or 'malicious'? What have any of you done that would make someone want to drive a knife through your heart?"

The group thought, racking their brains for clues as to what they could have done.

"There was that time I sacrificed a bunny in the name of Lana, but I'm pretty sure nobody was watching" Michelle slurred.

"What if it's the guys from the Lion's Den?" Claire questioned.

"I forgot to put my swag on one morning" Miranda added.

"One time I didn't full finish grilling a patty," Christine mumbled.

"I dragged Clarisse one time" Jan replied. The group stared at him.

"I leaked Sky's unreleased material" Steven said, looking around.

"Sky would never kill anyone. She's too perfect, and besides, she's scared of blood" Claire quipped, triumphantly glaring at Steven.

"I forgot to buy a Frappe one morning" Alex contributed.

"THAT'S IT!" Michelle screamed from the back of the room, deep in thought.

"I forgot to play Born To Die one night before going to sleep. This is Lana's way of getting revenge. She's going to kill everyone to teach me an important life lesson. I will emerge a better person and she will come down from the fifth dimension and rescue me from this hell." She smiled, popping open another bottle of Svedka.

"One time I let my dog eat me out but I highly doubt that garners death" Jane said, Lauri giving her a look of disgust.

"Something tells me this is Vivian's fault," Alex said, looking in her direction, shooting a curt glare. "I mean, she is the one who owns this place."

"Why the hell would this be my fault? It's not my fault you're a jail bait faggot that any serial killer would be willingly ready to chop apart," Vivian snarled.

"At least I'm not a bimbo who has to suck off her professor for a GED" Alex quipped.

"At least I _**have**_ a GED" Vivian sniped. "Go back to using mommy and daddies money to fund your Starbucks addiction. Oh! And while you're at it, you should probably get that hair fixed. I'd suggest a yarn weave, but even _that_ would be too high class for trash like you."

Alex sank into the couch, his mouth agape.

"Shut the fuck up Vivian, stop being a cunt." Jan yelled. "We're not here to fight, we're here to stay alive, and you two beating each others asses won't help."

"At least I have an ass," Vivian mumbled. Lauri smacked her arm.

* * *

The group had been sitting in the living room for hours until a large crash came from the upstairs.

"Ain't no way in hell I'm finna go up there!" Miranda asserted, putting her hands up.

"Nobody is up there, something probably just fell over" Jane commented, cocking her shotgun.

"Someone's not convinced" Steven muttered. Michelle giggled, tracing her fingers on his skin. The two had become intertwined on the large couch, giggling and kissing over drunken words, feeling a little bit frisky.

"I'll go look," Jane said, making herself believe it wasn't anything threatening.

"Don't go alone!" Mary shouted, her blue eyes twinkling with fear. "I don't want you dying on me," she said, kissing Jane. She smiled and held onto Jane's arm.  
"I'll go with you too," Lauri said, standing up from the couch. "I'm bored as fuck and Peter isn't really even trying to entertain me anymore" she said, shooting him a cold glare. Peter had been teaching Lauri the art of moose herding, but she wasn't having it.

"Just don't die" Claire groaned from the couch.

The trio made their way up the two stories. Paintings and pictures lined the walls, and tables and the occasional lamp presented themselves as they continued down the hallway. Light danced and jittered across the floor, bouncing onto the walls in an array of glimmering euphoria, before connecting with the mirrors lining the narrow space.

"Do you hear that?" Mary questioned. A scratching noise was coming from one of the rooms – the one at the far end of the hallway.

"Yeah" Lauri replied, her brow furrowing, trying to make the sound out. Something was digging, or rather, searching, through the bedroom at the end of the hall. Jane approached carefully, making sure her feet didn't make the floorboards groan.

"I'm gonna kick the door open. If anyone runs out of if any crazy killer jumps at me, you guys have to help me out, okay?" Jane questioned, Mary and Lauri nodded.

Before Jane lifted her foot up, Mary grabbed her by the arm, twirling her around, and kissed him with a passion unknown to the two before.

"Just in case" Mary stammered, blushing.

* * *

Jane kicked the door in.

"Don't fuck with me!" she shouted, pointing the gun around the room. The rustling stopped.

"The fuck…?" Lauri murmered.

A figure flew out of the darkness. Jane cocked her gun and shot. A squeal emitted from the figure and Mary let out a yelp. A raccoon lay dead on the floor, Jane huffing heavily.

"I'm sorry" Jane said, reloading the gun.

"Is everything okay?" Christine screamed from downstairs.

"Yeah!" Jane shouted back, closing the bedroom door. "It was an animal."

The group had begun to make their way downstairs. Lauri had been caught deep in thought, before a definitive idea hit her.

"Wait" Lauri stammered, her eyes widening. "How would a raccoon get into the house if there's nobody to-"

A slam reverberated off of the walls. A shadowy figure ran out of one of the bedrooms, knocking Jane against the wall, her gun flying out of her hands.

"No!" she screeched as the figure pinned Lauri to the wall. Jane scrambled for her gun, and the figure released Lauri, knocking her head against the wall, stabbing Jane in the arm.

"Fuck!" she shouted as the figure ran towards Mary. Blood spilled out of Jane's arm as she lay screaming.

Mary had already begun running down the hallway towards the stairs. The figure picked up his knife and aimed.

Mary felt a sharp stab in her back and collapsed near the banister, her eyes wild with fear. The pain ran through her body, scalding her nervous system.

The killer leaned over her. It removed the knife from her back as she screeched, and turned her over to face it.

"You're going to look at me when I kill you" the figure said, staring at Mary.

"It's – it's you! I can't believe you would do thi-"

The figure plunged the dagger into Mary's chest, cutting off her discovery. Jane screamed, while the unconscious Lauri laid motionless on the ground.

Mary attempted to crawl away, and the figure laughed, knowing she would not make it far. It picked up her frail body, digging the knife into her back. She let out one final scream before the figure threw her body down the stairs. It ceased at the landing with one final "snap."

The figure ran back into the bedroom. Jane grabbed it by the arm. Before she could shoot, it ripped out of her grip, leaving a piece of fabric in her hand. It jumped out of the window that Alex had foolishly forgotten to lock, that being the only entrance into the house.

* * *

The group surrounded the body. Claire cried while Jane locked the upstairs window. Lauri woke from her haze, not remembering anything that happened.

Michelle screamed as Steven tried to console her, and Peter slammed his fists against the walls.

"This is the last time. I'm fucking done. I'm fucking _**DONE" **_Mark shouted at the group. Christine sat crying while Alex tried to hug her, tears pouring from his very eyes. The group was overcome with emotion, not aware of their surroundings.

Jane stumbled out of the bedroom, her vision blurred with tears. Lauri reached her arm out, gesturing for Jane to help her.

"What happened?" Lauri questioned, hearing the sobs from the first floor.

"Mary's dead."

* * *

The figure stood in the dense fog, overlooking the lake. It twirled the blade in its hand, feeling accomplished after such a successful kill. It realized, however, that it had played it too close – so close to the point that Jane almost got it.

It peered into the windows, watching the friend's scream and cry in a frenzy. They still had yet to notice that one of their own was missing, but the figure knew that would have to change soon. It needed to stop doing its killings so publicly, in order to make it look like they were in the group the entire time.

The figure flicked a lighter, taking a deep inhale on a cigarette, it's name emblazoned on the butt.


	10. Chapter 10 - Pretty

"At this point, I think a few of them had the idea that the killer was among them, but nobody wanted to act upon it" Ke$ha explained, her arms resting on the cold table.

"We're aware, Ms. Sebert. The killers body has been in our custody for months now."

"By the time they killed the enemy it had already wiped out most of them. Not many of them lived to see the discovery. Didn't only two of them survive?"

"We'll get down to numbers once you finish your story, Ms. Sebert" Mike replied.

* * *

"I'm fucking done. We have to get the fuck out of here and FAST," Mark yelled at the group.

"Maybe we can-" Claire attempted to suggest.

"There's no fucking maybe you fucking MORON!" Mark screamed at her. "We have seven dead bodies on this island right now and the count just keeps rising. If we don't do something fast we're all fish bait. And don't even get my started on what will happen if they managed to knock Jane and Vivian out of the game. We'll be sitting ducks."

Claire sank into the couch as Jan ran his hands through his hair, racking his brain for answers.

"What if we all just locked ourselves in a bedroom upstairs?" Jan questioned. "That way the only time they could get us is if were all herded together. Even then, all of the windows and doors would be locked. We're all sitting around the living room not realizing that we're in the middle of open season. He or She has all sorts of angles on us in here. If we hide in a concealed space the only time it can get to us is when were all herded together."

"What if it has a gun?" Peter questioned. "If it does, it really _is_ open season."

"I wouldn't mind spending some time in a bedroom" Michelle giggled, looking at Steven, burping. Steven gave her a halfhearted pat on the thigh.

* * *

The fog had cleared as morning drew near; the sun crept out of the clouds, letting its bright rays shine on the now-dismal cabin. The birds chirped happily, unaware of the massacre going on before them. The flowers danced happily in the soft breeze, their petals pirouetting against the blue sky. The squirrels scavenged from nuts, darting in and out of their burrows, hoping to find new food and resources. The raccoons burrowed away, while some dug at the foundation of the house, hoping to get inside. The trees wisped their branches in the wind, creating waves of leaves in a majestic motion, waning and waxing with the breeze.

Inside, the group sat, trapped.

"It's daylight" Lauri said, her eyes sore after not being able to sleep the night before. "He won't come for us now."

"Why are we assuming it's a he?" Christine questioned, her brown hair dangling near her glasses. She pushed it aside, her painted nails glistening against the natural light coming from the windows.

"Well, first of all, whoevers doing this is strong – strong enough to take me and Jane out with one fell blow." Jane grunted from the kitchen.

"Why are you making food?" she yelled to Jane. Her stomach had been unsettled ever since the saw the body of Nicole.

Since Mary had died, both bodies had been removed from the house, resting on the back porch, and the group had cleaned up the blood stains from the floorboards.

"I'm eating because I'm hungry" Jane nonsensically replied.

"Why don't we just order McDonalds?" Christine questioned, smiling.

"We're on a lake in the middle of California, dumbass" Vivian sniped.

"Oh, sorry" she said, resting her arms on the kitchen chair.

* * *

The day had been so calm to the point that Michelle had gone outside to swim in the pool. The group made sure to watch her, making sure she was safe. Due to the trajectory of the house and the pool, it was impossible for the killer to shoot her with anything, unless it blindly tossed a rock from the shoreline below.

Michelle's tanned body sliced through the water, her legs paddling in a serpentine motion. She resembled a mermaid, with her long brown hair swinging and swaying behind her in the crystal clear water. Her body dipped and twirled through the blue, darting from corner to corner, side to side.

Vivian sat inside, staring at Michelle's body cutting through the glimmering pool. She had always had an inert jealousy towards Michelle, even though she was gorgeous herself – like all of the women in the house. But there was something about Michelle that she couldn't quite put her finger on, something that made everyone want her, something that made men like Steven the luckiest men alive. Was it her raw sex appeal? Was it her perfect body, coupled with her long, lush brown hair? Was it her crystal clear eyes that pierced even the hardest of ice-cold hearts? Or was it just the way she walked - that extra little wiggle her hips gave when she swayed them so effortlessly from side to side? Vivian was determined to figure out.

* * *

A knock came on Steven's door. He rushed to it, rustling his short, dirty blonde hair. Vivian was standing at the door.

"Can I come in?" she asked, leaning towards him, a sinister smile on her face.

"Yeah... uhhh sure, come on in" Steven said, confused at her sudden appearance.

"I didn't mean to barge in like this" she said, staring up at him with her ice blue eyes, something deep inside her begging for an answer.

"It's fine" Steven replied, sitting down next to her.

A silence had wedged itself between the two.

"It's just really hard" Vivian said, her voice cracking. "I'm responsible for all of you, and now that people are dying I feel like I'm the one at fault, just like Alex said. I want to convince myself I have nothing to do with it, but I can't. I feel like everything is falling apart and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Do you even know what I had planned for all of us? We were going to have so much fun and do so many fun things but then all of this stupid _fucking_ **bullshit** happened and I feel completely useless." Vivian broke down into tears, her light blue eye shadow twinkling down her face with her tears. She leaned into Steven, and he hugged her.

"Shhhh, shhhh. It's going to be okay, I promise" Steven cooed, rubbing her back.

"Promise?" Vivian said, breaking the embrace, looking up at him.

"Promise" he said, smiling at her.

This was her moment, her only shot. She looked him in the eyes, and moved her gaze down to his lips, leaning in. He returned the gesture, leaning in. They embraced, their lips locking in a fit of passion.

"Don't be scared" Vivian mumbled, her lips curling up to a smile as she leaned back onto the bed, undoing her top.

"You can't tell Michelle" Steven whispered, his raspy voice biting into Vivian's ears. She kissed his neck as her grabbed her waist, their hips interlocking.

"Am I hotter than her?" Vivian whispered, grabbed Steven's head.

He sat up. "Why would you ask that?" he questioned.

"I just need to know" she replied.

"But why? Why are you asking now?" he asked, looking at her, concerned.

"Just tell me," she said, grabbing him and locking his lips to hers.

"You're so hot" he mused. Vivian smiled, victory swelling through her body.

The door swung open.

"Steven, I was wondering if you-"

Michelle stared at the two, gasping, her hand covering her mouth. Steven jumped up, while Vivian nonchalantly leaned up from the bed. Tears swelled into Michelle's eyes, her hair still wet from her swim in the pool.

"Steven…Steven why…why would you do this?" she asked, looking at him with contempt and disgust. Steven stood, frozen, unable to reply.

Vivian stood up, traipsing towards Michelle.

"He couldn't resist," she whispered, a sinister smile crossing her face.

Before Vivian had time to react, Michelle lifted her hand up and smacked Vivian straight across the face, the noise echoing off of the walls. Vivian reeled backwards, falling onto the ground.

"You fucking _**bitch**_" Vivian spat, standing up. Michelle pushed her back down.

"FYI you irritating little cunt – I know you're jealous of me. It's tough being the hottest bitch in the house sometimes."

With that, Michelle picked up her purse, walking towards the door. Steven grabbed her by the arm.

"Michelle, I'm so-"

Michelle slapped him across the face as he emitted a yelp.

"Just like our relationship, that apology is buried deep within Vivian's clit."

She ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

Miranda had situated herself on the couch. Michelle was meditating to Born To Die, the sounds from her earphones spreading around the room.

"Can you turn that down?" Miranda asked her.

Michelle did not respond, her eyes closed, invigorated in the music.

"Can you please turn that down?" Miranda asked again, her voice more agitated this time.

Michelle looked up. "No, I'm listening to the bible. I don't interrupt your swag sessions."

Miranda began fuming. She walked right up to Michelle and yanked the music player right out of her hands, and Michelle screamed.

"Miranda, I'm not in the mood for your shit right now" she said, pulling her device back.

Steven walked into the room, and Michelle shot him a cold glare as he passed. He walked through the living room into the kitchen, and Claire sat, reading a book over a cup of coffee. She looked up to see who it was, and shook her head in disappointment upon seeing Steven in front of her.

"What?" he asked, pretending not to know what was upsetting the entire household.

"You know exactly what, dumbass" Claire quipped, returning to her book.

Steven fixed himself a cup of coffee, walking back into the living room. He tried talking to Michelle, but all she gave him was a cold stare and an emotionless 'Leave me alone.'

Michelle had begun playing her music again, and Miranda instantly became agitated again.

"Stop it!" she screeched, running at Michelle.

"Hey!" shouted Lauri from the den, running in to defend Michelle. "Leave her alone!"

Claire looked up from her book to observe the commotion, not contributing to the argument at hand.

* * *

Lauri had chased Miranda upstairs, the two screaming and yelling at each other in heated words. Eat member of the group eventually joined in to watch, looking at the two of them ascend the stairs up to the bedrooms.

"You really need to stop hating on Lana and Michelle, they're both perfect!" Lauri shouted.

"I'm sorry, but I have too much swag to be a #hater" Miranda quipped back, locking eyes with Lauri.

"Just stop being so rude, okay?" Lauri demanded.

"Not my fault her voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard" Miranda sniped.

"What did you just say?" Lauri questioned.

"Nails on a chalkboard, nails on a chalkboard" Miranda gloated. Lauri began walking towards her as Miranda retreated backwards.

"Ew, nails on a chalkboard" Miranda said, continuing her spree.

"Say it one more time" Lauri dared, backing Miranda into the window.

"Ew" she whispered.

"Nails."

"On."

"A."

"Chalk."

"Board."

With that, Lauri gave Miranda a rough push. Before she had time to react, she lost her footing. She flew backwards into the glass, the window shattering under the pressure of the shove. Her body plummeted to the ground, landing with a 'crack' on the cement below.

The group gathered around the window, checking if she was dead. Her body didn't move, a pool of blood forming around her back. Everyone turned to Lauri, tears forming in her eyes.

"I didn't mean it! I swear, it was an accident! Why would I kill one of my best friends?" she pleaded with the group.

"You're the fucking killer!" Peter yelled.

"No, I promise, I'm not!" Lauri insisted.

"We just saw you push one of our best friends out of the damn window" Jan screamed, his face turning red.

"What do I need to do to prove to you I'm not? I was there when Mary died, why would I kill her?"

"You're fighting against your own cause" Vivian sniped from the background.

A scream emitted from the downstairs. Claire fell to the ground in the living room, her shouts echoing through the house.

"It wasn't me, it wasn't me," she mumbled, pulling at her hair, tears streaming down her face.

"We know Claire, you weren't even here when Lauri push-"

Jane stopped short, her breath leaving her body, looking down into the living area.

Christine's dead body dangled from the banister.

* * *

The figure relaxed on the shoreline, lighting a cigarette. It examined the shoreline, looking out into the woods beyond the lake. Another successful kill was under its belt, and another one was done not even on its own account.

Footsteps came from behind it.

"Thanks" it muttered as a second figure sat down next to it, handing it Claire's flaregun.


	11. Chapter 11 - Popular

"It wasn't even trying to hide itself anymore" Ke$ha commented, her sullen eyes staring at Mike.

"Did the kids just assume the killer was someone that stalked them there? They wouldn't have thought it was one of them?" Mike questioned.

"That's the thing" Ke$ha replied.

"There wasn't just one killer."

* * *

Claire was running, her heart beating through her chest, her lungs gasping for air, running towards a building, trying to escape. She arrived inside of her school, and stared into the vast emptiness of fluorescent light, the pale lockers glistening like artificial candy. A bell rang. Not once. Twice. Four times. Was that seven? Twenty? You've lost track of time, haven't you. No, you're sure it was once. But are you? Count to ten. If the bell rings again, it rang twenty times. One. Five. Ten. I was right. Twenty Rings.

Claire kept staring; the incessant voice in her head making her question her every move. Teenagers flocked out of their classrooms, ready for the days end. Except they weren't happy, they were scared. Their blank faces looked at Claire. They whispered, a chorus of murmurs rising from the mass of bodies.

A shot rang out.

Melanie Silverman fell to the ground. Or was it Melanie Silverman? Maybe it was Hannah Tolgate. You never really knew the difference between the two of them anyways. It's not like it matters to you anyways. Whoever it was, they're dead. They're all dead.

Ten. Twenty. Forty.

Eighty. Two hundred.

Pop. Snap. Bang. Scream.

The students fall like flies. You're staring at them blankly. Why doesn't it bother you? Why don't you care that your friends are dying?

You look down.

You're the one holding the gun.

But you aren't shooting them?

Maybe you aren't.

The voice kept ringing in Claire's head. She pulled the trigger, reloading mercilessly. She watched as past classmates dropped to the ground.

Who would find the bodies? Certainly the police would be here by now.

Everyone is dead.

Nobody can call the police.

You stop shooting.

Claire looked at the pile of bloodied bodies sprawled in front of her. Their innards lined the walls, making a splatter-paint art piece worthy of nausea. Claire tiptoed around them. She was crying, but not because she genuinely cared for these people. She was crying because she was the one that had to do it.

It's not like she wanted to. She was a smart girl. Popular too. She wasn't the creepy loser that snapped one day and decided to kill. She had no motive. She was confused.

Trapped.

Unsure.

"Do these words describe you? Ms. O'Carr?"

She continued to walk down the hall, traipsing through the pools of blood and the bodies of her victims.

She felt a tug at her leg.

She looked down. Amber Clearwater stared up at her, blood pouring out of her eyes. Her mouth opened, uttering a whisper.

"You're still dead."

* * *

Claire shot up, sweat beading across her forehead. She looked around. It was morning. Michelle was awake, absent from her bed.

Unlike the previous days, no smell of bacon, pancakes, or eggs rose from the kitchen. Instead, a depressing plate of toast awaited her when she sat down.

"Peter and Jan took Christine and put her out with Miranda" Jane sighed, looking out onto the horizon across the lake.

"You make it sound like she's some sort of broken toy," Mark mumbled from behind the week-old newspaper.

"Honestly, we've seen eight or so people die in the past few days. It's sort of become a commodity to remove bodies from the house" Vivian quipped from the sink.

"Doesn't make it any less disturbing" Jan said, stirring his coffee.

Alex swung his week old Mocha Frappe in his hands. "We need to get out of here, fast" he suggested. Peter shot him a cold glare.

"If I hear one more person say that I'm going to commit" he shot.

Michelle threw her arm over Claire's shoulder.

"You look sad. What's wrong cutie?" she questioned, looking towards the group for some help. Lauri shrugged and mouthed 'I don't know' at her.

"I had a really weird dream last night" Claire said, still in a haze from her nightmare.

"What was it about?" Steven questioned.

"I shot down my entire school."

Peter choked on his cereal, and Alex dropped his jaw. The group stared at her as an uncomfortable silence formed around them.

"It was just a dream," she said, rubbing her hair. While she had experienced gruesome dreams before, none lived up to the cold stare her friend Amber gave her at the end of it. What scared her even more was what she said. "You're still dead." Why would she say that? Claire was alive and sentient through the entire dream, not fading in and out of consciousness. Or was she?

"I need an aspirin" Claire mumbled, yanking opens the cabinet doors.

"Hey, be careful with those" Vivian shouted. "It's mahogany."

* * *

Steven sat out on the porch, looking out into the daylight. The breeze tugged at his dirty blonde hair. His tee hung loosely on his shoulders as he leaned into the guardrails.

He couldn't stop thinking about Michelle. Everything she did for him, everything they were.

What he found so immensely strange was the fact that he actually did what he had done. He had never 'cheated' on anyone, and he wasn't the type to go behind someone's back like that. He was impulsive, and had little self-control. He often didn't think about the consequences his actions would have.

However, being impulsive was a good thing sometimes. Impulse was something you needed to have the drive to confront someone – to tell someone something important.

He leaned up, heading into the house.

Michelle was sitting on the hammock chair by the living room window.

"We need to talk" Steven said, directing his voice towards Michelle. She looked over her shoulders, pretending not to know whom the all too familiar voice was coming from.

"What do you want" she sighed, looking up at him.

"I want to talk with you," he said, gesturing towards the upstairs.

"Why? Is Vivian too tired to fuck you?" Michelle sniped, glaring at him.

"Michelle…"

"Fine."

The two walked upstairs. Claire was sitting on her bed, reading a copy of 'Pride and Prejudice,' her face buried deep in the book.

She heard the two walk in.

"Oh!" she shot up. "I'll let you two have some privacy."

She got up, walking towards the door. While Michelle wasn't looking, Claire leaned into Stevens ear.

"Everything is Embarrassing."

Claire left, and Michelle sat down on her bed. Steven sat in the bed opposite to hers.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry," Steven said, looking up at Michelle with regret.

"Sorry doesn't cut it" she replied, looking out the window at the fog settling on the lake.

"Look, I know what I did was wrong. I really care for you. I know you think I don't, but I really do. I love the way you smile at me in the morning when I wake up. I love the way you kiss me even when you're mad at me."

Michelle looked towards him.

"I love how you stand up for what you believe in. I love your wits and your sense of humor. I love how you can change every situation from a negative to a positive."

Michelle tried not to show that tears were welling up in her eyes, remembering all of the fun and memories she shared with Steven.

"I fucked up Michelle, I really did. But I need you back in my life."

"You cheated on me with Vivian" she replied coldly, choking back her emotions.

"I didn't want to. I got caught up in the moment. She needed someone there with her and I didn't know what to do. I was confused."

"What if you do it again?" Michelle asked.

"I won't"

"How do I know that?"

"Because I love you."

"You loved me when you started dry humping Vivian."

Steven shook his head and got up, his fingers trailing the blankets.

"This isn't worth it. I can't get you back" he muttered, beginning to leave.

"Wait."

Steven turned around, and Michelle grabbed him by the face and embraced him.

"I want you. And only you" she cooed, a smiling forming on her teary cheeks.

* * *

Peter sat alone in the home office, tracing his figures on the outline of the glass desk. He was deep in thought, almost as if in another world.

Peter was studios, and had a bright future in front of him. His friends constantly lampooned his Asian heritage and success, but he was proud of himself. He was proud of the fact that he had made it so far in life, and had excelled so much compared to his peers and his classmates. He was shy and quiet, and always felt left out of the friend group, or rather felt like he was the easily disposable one. He was never volatile with any of them, aside of Steven, whom he used to be best friends with. The two had ended on a bitter note after a fight had erupted, but they had managed to keep their cool throughout the entire trip.

Alex walked in, and Peter shot up in surprise.

"Oh, hey."

"Hey" Alex replied, looking down.

"What's up?" Peter questioned.

"It's Christine. She's gone now, and she was my only real friend here aside of Claire."

Alex was the type that made friends and kept them forever. He made sure every friend he had was a good one, and everyone else was simply an acquaintance. He always kept close with this tight knit, core group of friends. He shared his secrets, and always kept his friends stories close to heart. He was honest, but not rude. He was kind, but not overbearing.

Christine's death took an emotional toll on him. Not only had he lived with her for over two years, he had known everything about her - all of her friends, all of her dreams and aspirations. He knew her family well, and was distraught at the thought of them finding out about her death. He could picture their grimaces; he could hear her mother's screams.

"It was inevitable" Peter said. Alex looked up at him with disgust.

"Why would you even say that" he spat.

"Because I think its fate that we all die here."

"What the hell do you mean?"

"I mean I don't think any of us are going to make it out of here alive. That's why I've been sitting here for the past few hours. I've been contemplating what its like – death. I've accepted the fact that all of us have a slim chance of getting out of here in once piece, literally."

"So you think the killer is going to get us all before the police arrive?" Alex questioned, his voice shaking.

"Yeah. I think we're just gonna' have to accept it. I mean, he's already killed eight of us in a span of two days, and there's only ten of us left. It would be a miracle if all of us came out of this alive."

"I think we're going to make it out of here. We have to stick together."

"Do you _really_ believe that?" Peter questioned, raising his eyebrows at Alex.

Alex was lost in thought. Peter was right, eight or so had died in the span of two days. Who's to say he can't knock out ten in the next forty-eight hours.

"No. I don't"

"That's what I thought."

"But" Alex interjected. "I do think we have a higher chance if all of us stay together. Just huddle together in one big group, safe together."

"You're right" Peter said. "I must have miscalculated."

With that, he smiled, leaving Alex alone in the room.

* * *

Mark and Lauri sat in their room. Mark was flipping through the week old newspaper, and Lauri was sitting on her bed, twiddling her fingers.

"I'm so fucking stupid," she said, sitting up.

"You're not" Mark replied, not looking up from the paper.

"I killed one of my best friends." Lauri said. Mark put the paper down and leaned up.

"Yeah, she was annoying as fuck, but I didn't mean to kill her. She could still be here. Am I just supposed to lie when the cops get here and say the killer murdered her when it was me? Do you know what it's like to kill someone? Do you really know what it's like to watch your friend's body land in front of you, dead? You don't."

Mark stared at her blankly.

"Well, no, I don't know what it's like to kill someone, Lauri. You're right on that one."

Lauri pushed her blonde hair behind her right ear, her cheeks becoming red with embarrassment at the fact she was crying.

"You didn't meant to do it" Mark said, trying to comfort her. "It was a total accident."

"That's not what the police are going to think. If they find out I killed Miranda, they'll think I killed all of them."

"We'll tell them you didn't!" Mark suggested.

"They'll just think you're defending me" Lauri mused.

The two sat in silence for a while.

"I don't think that we're going to be alive when the police show up" Mark whispered, fear etching his voice.

"What makes you say that?"

"My gut. I have a feeling he'll get to us before the police do."

"We just have to stick together."

"The last time we stuck together Mary and Nicole got thrown down a flight of stairs and killed."

* * *

Vivian, Jan, and Jane sat around the island in the kitchen. Vivian and Jan carried cups of coffee, while Jane had mixed herself an espresso vodka tonic at one in the afternoon.

"I still feel like this is all my fault" Vivian mumbled, stirring the coffee.

"It's not. It's not like you knew that we were going to start getting picked off one by one by some random loser" Jan said, staring into his mug.

Jan was a pale, dark haired young man, quite the opposite of Steven and Alex, who both had sandy blonde hair with a darker skin complexion. His dark brown eyes appeared murky, and he always had his short hair pushed up in spiky waves.

Jane sat next to him. Her and Vivian could be mistaken for identical twins, which was probably a good reason they were so close. Her long blonde hair clung to her collarbones, which were defined from years of sports in high school. Her blue eyes made even the most faithful man swoon, and her thin, pouty lips accented her defined cheekbones.

Vivian, like Jane, had long blonde hair. Vivian's was more naturally messy, with random curls and frizzes thrown into its locks. This only added to her sex appeal, her red, oval lips making her a femme fatale. She had long legs, similar to that a models, from playing Varsity soccer throughout high school. Her fair skin was the envy of everyone in the household; it was tan, but not too orange, maintaining a soft glow.

Vivian flipped her hair back, looking at Jan.

"You don't think Michelle's still mad at me, right?" she asked.

"I'd assume so" Jan replied, shrugging at her.

"I mean, you did try to fuck her boyfriend" Jane said, matter of factly.

"Yeah but I didn't mean anything vicious from it!"

Jan and Jane looked up at her with a look of sarcastic disbelief.

"I was just trying to find out why everyone in this house is so god damn obsessed with her. Yeah, she's got a nice ass, but does she have a Bachelors degree in science? The answer is no."

"A bachelor degree in anything doesn't make a girl hot, Viv" Jan said, patting her on the arm.

"You made out with the other night" Vivian shot back.

"We were playing spin the bottle. Not that I'd have a problem doing it again though" he said, winking. Jane choked on her drink.

* * *

The group had gathered in the kitchen for dinner. Vivian, Jan, and Jane had prepared an Italian pasta dish, complete with salad and bread. Everyone sat at the large, family table in the dining room. The group had forgotten all of their worries, laughing and drinking, sharing stories as the glasses filled.

Steven and Michelle would whisper into each other's ears from time to time, giggling at what the other had to say.

Claire and Lauri reminisced on past loves, and Claire began moaning about how Sky Ferreira never took her hand in marriage.

"She thinks I'm some creep on the Internet" she cried.

"It's okay. I think she loves you" Lauri said, patting Claire on the back.

"_Baby if you let me be your lover_" Claire shrieked through her tears.

Mark and Peter had gotten into a fight about Canada.

"No, you fucking idiot. Moose sound like this" Peter screamed at him.

"And little Chinese men sound like this" Mark shouted, throwing his spoon across the room.

Jane and Jan were arguing about who made the better Pasta.

"I'm in AP Food study, imbecile" Jan spat at Jane.

Michelle had broken into a rendition of Blue Jeans, with Alex singing a broken harmony.

Vivian cleared her throat, trying to put an end to the havoc.

"Oh look, home wrecker has something to say" Michelle slurred, the vodka speaking for her.

"Oh look, crusty bitch is drunk again" Vivian sniped.

"I didn't know your tampon was shoved so far up tonight, Viv?" Michelle quipped back.

Vivian rolled her eyes.

"I just wanted to propose a toast. A toast to good health and happiness. A toast to the fact that none of us have died today; a toast to the fact that we're still alive"

"A toast to those we've lost over the past two days"

The group looked saddened, raising their glasses, clinking them together.

* * *

A small, but loud enough thud came from the living room.

"What was that?" Michelle giggled over her glass, pouring another.

"Probably just a piece of furniture" Jane suggested.

"Furniture doesn't fall over by itself" Claire mumbled, shuddering.

"We should all go check it out," Alex suggested. The group agreed, and everyone rose from the dinner table.

The house threw eerie light from the windows at night, forming depressing shadows and ghostly light patterns.

"It came from over here," Vivian said, guiding the group around the corner.

Jane snapped the living room lights on.

What appeared before the group was worse than anything they had seen so far.

Christine was hanging from the wall. Her body was covered in dried cuts, her head tilted at an unnerving angle. Her eyes had been pinned open, staring at the group.

"This had to have been here for a while" Jane mumbled. "The blood is dry."

Claire let out a yelp, looking above Christine. What she saw was her worst nightmare, literally.

Written on the walls in Christine's blood was the bloodcurdling phrase Claire was all too familiar with.

"You're still dead."

* * *

The killer sat on the porch, smiling. It heard the screams emitting from the living room, being proud of its work.

The body had been placed there prior to the beginning of dinner. It had planned this out so that everyone would be there at dinner, including itself. When the group had gone to investigate, it had pretended to have the urge to vomit, and left the room.

It heard a shuffle behind itself, and jumped up, ready to attack.

"It's just me," the voice cooed.

The figure relaxed.

"I brought you this," its accomplice said, handing him a piece of meat on a fork.

It took a rough bite, tossing the fork into the pool.

"I also brought this" the friend continued.

The figure handed it something that felt like a book.

It looked down at the cover, a maniacal smile lighting up its face.

'CLAIRES DIARY'


	12. Chapter 12 - Pale

"Mike, that's your name, right?" Ke$ha mused from across the table.

Mike stared at her sternly.

"Yes. You know this, Ms. Sebert" he replied, rolling his eyes.

"Do I really?"

Ke$ha smiled as she continued her story.

* * *

Christine was still hanging on the wall; her vacant stare filling the room with screams and terror. Her body had turned pale, and nearly all of the blood had been drained out from her multitude of stab wounds. The blood on the wall still left its eerie message engraved in Christine's blood.

"I'm gonna puke" Peter mumbled from the back of the room, rushing to the toilet.

"Jesus Christ, this asshole is ruthless" Jan said from the back, astonishment flooding his eyes.

"I've seen worse" Lauri said from the couch.

"No you haven't" Alex replied, glaring at her.

"Whatever the case" Steven said, interrupting, "We need to get her out of here."

"It's too late. One of us is going to get killed if we even open the door" Claire stammered from the corner, twirling her brown locks in her fingers.

"I know this sounds stupid and mean, but if we just toss the body, nothing will happen to any of us" Steven suggested.

Alex shot him a disgusted glare.

"She's not a fucking chew toy you asshole" he shouted, rushing up to Steven. Jan pulled him back, while Michelle grabbed at Steven, begging him to stop.

"Well she's fucking dead and there's nothing we can do about it. The sooner you stop acting like a moron the better off we all are!" Steven yelled.

"Go bury your dick in Vivian again, why don't you. See how many things you can fuck up in the span of twenty four hours" Alex yelled back, pushing Jan to the side.

"Try me" Steven said, cocking his head to the left.

Steven broke free from Michelle and took a swing at Alex's face, narrowly missing him. Alex responded by shoving Steven right into a wooden bookshelf, a squeal of pain emitting from his mouth. Steven got up and threw another jab at Alex, this time hitting him square in the stomach. Alex coughed and reeled backwards, a splatter of blood coming out of his mouth. He grabbed Steven by the head and kneed him in the chest, pushing him onto the floor afterwards.

"Try me" Alex mocked, walking away and Michelle tended to Steven.

"We're not going to get anywhere fighting" Peter said, returning from the bathroom.

"The only way we can ensure our safety is if we stay as far away from those damn doors as possible."

"But what about Christine?" Jane questioned, looking towards Peter.

"She stays there" he responded, his eyes looking at the vacant kitchen.

"Um, excuse" Vivian said, clearing her throat.

"This is my house, and we play by my rules. I don't feel like having a rotting corpse hung up on my wall, and I doubt any of you want to look at it. We're taking her down and putting her outside, end of story."

"If you want to get yourself killed, by all means, please, go ahead" Peter responded, shooting a cocky smile at Vivian.

"Go call the moose herd in to protect us" Vivian sniped back, winking at Peter.

* * *

Jan and Steven had managed to un-mount Christine from the wall. The blood had dried, so nothing new came spilling out when they picked her up. However, the cleanup was something none of them had ever experienced. Vivian found the bleach and peroxide, and they got scrubbing. Claire didn't want to be anywhere near the bloody omen, so she opted to sit in the kitchen and read.

Steven and Jan opened the door. Jane stood behind them, shotgun cocked.

"You know the emergency word, right?" Jane asked, looking around.

"The emergency word is 'oh shit there's a killer run'" Jan replied.

The front yard, past the fountain, was a wall of darkness. All of them waited with baited breath for the killer to come rushing out, but nothing out of the ordinary came flying out of the forest.

They placed Christine's body back near Miranda's, making sure the two were tied together.

"See anything?" Jan said to Jane. She shook her head 'no.'

The two got up and began walking back towards the front porch, Jane in tow.

A rustle emitted from the distance.

"Probably just an animal" Jan suggested, shaking it off.

"Eight people have died in the span of forty eight hours. It's not an Animal. And Jane, the next time a piece of furniture falls over inside of the _**house**_ I can assure you it was not the wind" Steven said. "Now lets get the hell inside."

The trio ran into the house, slamming the door and locking it behind them.

"Did anyone die?" Vivian said, looking up, a sponge in her hands.

"We're all alive" Jane replied, sitting down on the couch.

"We really should make sure all of the doors and windows are locked. The last time it got in was when Alex's window was unlocked – this time it was because someone left a downstairs window unlocked" Vivian said, rubbing the sponge deeper and deeper into the wooden floors.

"Yeah. After that, there's no way it can get inside" Michelle said, looking up from Lana's autobiography.

"Why are you reading such a morbid piece of junk?" Peter questioned, trying to see what the text on the page read.

"It's not morbid. Lana just writes about the facts of life. She is god. God is her. The bible is wrong."

* * *

Claire was walking up the oak stairs, the tie strings from her long cardigan dragging along the floor. With each step she took, the downstairs became quieter and quieter. All she needed was to get away from the depression surrounding the living room. She needed to sleep, relax, is put herself in a happy place. She would lock all of her windows, lock her door, and shut off the world. She smiled, thinking about her comfy bed, warm and inviting.

She opened her bedroom door and flicked the lights on.

Her jaw dropped.

"No" she whispered, tears welling into her eyes.

The walls were covered in red marker and scratches, spelling out ghastly letters and mangled words. Her body shook with terror, reading each and every one along her plain of vision.

"You're a killer"

"Killer Claire"

"Blood on your hands"

"You're still dead"

"I thought we were friends"

"Come play with me"

"Bang bang"

"Killer"

What terrified her even more was the paper hanging in the middle of the room.

It was a page from her diary.

She ran up to it and grabbed it, reading the contents.

_August 4__th__. 2012_

_I'm going on a trip with my friends next weekend. I'm really excited. I feel like it's going to be a good experience for me and all of them. I'm just kind of nervous. We're going to be going out in the open, away from everything. Literally, everything. And it's not just that, it's the fact that we're going to be smack-dab in the middle of nowhere. I don't even think there's cell reception there._

_Anyways, I've been having this really weird recurring dream, and it's starting to scare me a little. I'm with all of them, but they all look really sad. Not like tired sad, but sad like they just found out their grandparents died. Not heart wrenching sadness, but a look that makes you kind of scared to approach them. Anyways, we're all sitting there, and one by one, they all start dying. They just start bleeding and screaming. And I just sit there. I don't even try to help, I don't scream, I don't run. I just sit there. What scares me most is the fact that once it's all done with, I'm the one holding the knife. But I don't feel upset. I don't seem mad in the dream. I just seem calm and normal. _

_I always wake up in a cold sweat. But when I wake up, I always feel like someone's watching me. Like some creep is getting a kick out of my misery. But I know nobody really is there. I have a really active imagination._

_Michelles calling._

Claire ripped the page off of the tie connecting it to the ceiling, and began to cry.

She began to sob.

She began to lie on the ground and shake uncontrollably.

During of the middle of her meltdown, she had inadvertedly flipped her paper over. Bright red marker caught her eye, making her look up from her bout of tears.

Written on the back of the paper was a phrase she hoped she never read.

"GOT YOU"

She screamed and began heading for the door.

Before she could finish her run, she ran straight into Michelle, and screamed again.

"Claire, Jesus, it's just me" she said, hugging the shivering girl.

Michelle looked around the room and saw the writing etched on the walls.

"Th…They have it!" Claire sobbed from Michelle's shoulder. "They found my diary!"

"They can't do anything with it" Michelle said, stroking Claire's hair, cooing her in a vain attempt to calm her.

"Let's call up Vivian, we're gonna need the cleaning stuff" Michele remarked, looking around the room.

"No. Just you and me. I don't want anyone finding out about this" Claire said, her red face enlarging with every huff she took in.

"Okay. I'll make it happen."

"I love you" Claire said, smiling through her tears.

"Love you too" Michele replied, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Jane had settled herself into the nook of the couch. She had watched Michelle take some of the supplies upstairs and assumed to was for some juvenile purpose, not knowing of Claire's discovery earlier.

Peter walked up to her, grabbing the shotgun lying next to her.

"Peter, what the fuck are you doing?" Jane asked, cautiously walking towards him.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to shoot you" he said, trying to edge himself away from her.

"Peter, put the gun down" Jane said, demanding he place it on the ground.

"No"

"Peter"

"No"

"Peter!"

"Jane. Listen to me" Peter said as he loaded the gun.

"We're all going to die here. What's the point of living if your only purpose is to be killed at the end? Only a fool would stay around here. You're all going to rot here. He's going to get to you one by one. He's going to kill off every last one of you like fucking sheep in a herd. You're just sitting ducks for whoever it is. Eight fucking people have died. Christine's dead body was just hung like a Christmas wreath in the living room. Do you really think that he won't go any farther? He's just toying with us now. He's going to snap each and every one of you like little braches.

"Peter, I don't think you-"

"No Jane, I _do_. And I'm warning you in advance. You aren't going to live. You might as well just end it right now and here so you don't have to go through the pain of having your body thrown off of a cliff or stabbed in the chest eight times."

"Peter, think about-"

"I've done all of my thinking Jane. I've come to my conclusion. I know that I would rather just end it now than be forced to watch all of us get picked off like ants. I'm done with it."

"Peter, stop it, you're scaring me" Jane said, walking towards him.

"Have fun on the rest of your vacation."

"No!"

Peter pointed the shotgun at his face and pulled the trigger. A loud 'BANG' boomed through the house. Blood splattered on the wall behind him, and his body fell to the ground, spastically shaking, before finally stopping, lying there in a heap.

The blast had taken off the entire top of his head with it, his skin plastered in bits and pieces along the walls.

Jane sat in front of him, trembling, so terrified to the point that she couldn't even cry.

"What the fuck was-"

Jan saw the blood and immediately knew what happened. All he needed to do was hear the blast.  
"I didn't-" Jane began to say, tears flooding her eyes.

"I know."

Alex came rushing into the room, seeing Peter's body crumpled up in front of him. He lifted Jane up from the ground, slinging her over his shoulders.

Alex was the only person in the entire house to know why Peter did it.

"He was ready to go."

* * *

The killer sat with its accomplice, clinking a glass of red wine with its friend.

"Job well done" it muttered, smiling at it's accomplishment.

"We didn't even have to pull the trigger" the other said, taking another sip.

"We're going to have to find a way in without looking so obvious."

"I'm surprised they still haven't guessed yet."

"They're obvious to everything at this point."

"I managed to grab something while I was in her room today, by the way."

The friend handed over a tube of bright red lipstick, the name MICHELLE emblazoned on the side.

"Perfect."


	13. Chapter 13 - Precision

"It still amazes me how stupid they were" Ke$ha said, facing Mike.

"What do you mean by that?" he questioned, looking at her intently.

"I mean that they should have all just swam across the lake together. Like herded into a group. At least they would have been on mainland."

"Why do you think they didn't think of that?"

"They were too caught up in the moment."

"How many more died?"

"Let me finish."

* * *

Peter's body lay pushed against the wall, the splatter of blood becoming dark red as is seeped into the lining.

"I could've stopped him" Jane muttered through short breaths.

The entire group had come to see what had happened, and all of them were surprised. First off, why would Peter kill himself? Secondly, why didn't Jane do anything to stop him?

"Jane, why didn't you grab the gun while you had the chance" Mark prodded, giving her a stern look.

"It was so short notice and so spontaneous. I didn't think fast enough and didn't think he would do it. Are you accusing me of assisting him in suicide – better yet, encouraging him?"

The group stared at Jane as she began to cry again.

"I know why he did it" Alex said, rubbing Jane on the back.

"Why did he?" Vivian questioned, raising her neck at Alex.

"He thought he was going to die anyways" Alex remarked.

The group shared an uncomfortable look as he continued.

"He was under the impression that all of us were going to die by the time the police got here, two days… well, now more like one and a half – but anyways. He thought that he, or she, would get to us before we could get to them, and continue picking us off one by one until none of us were left. He didn't think any of us would survive, specifically him. I guess he had kind of planned it all along."

Mark looked up and walked towards Peter's body.

"He's in a better place than we are right now," he stated, slinging the body over his shoulders and heading for the door.

* * *

An eerie silence wafted through the house. Night was beginning to fall, and the doors and windows had been bolted.

Mark sat in his room, flipping through a culture studies book. There was nary a time that you could find him without one. He sped through the text, digesting every word with precision and accuracy.

A soft knock came from his door.

"Hey" the voice said from the outside.

It was Jane.

Mark jumped up, opening the door for his friend.

"What's up?" he said, making sure she was okay.

"I just wanted to talk."

"Come on in."

Marks side of the room he and Lauri shared was full of books that he had been able to bring with him. Neuroscience, Law, and Political study books lined the walls. Jane picked up a particular book and laughed.

"Why Republicans Are Elephants: A Study Of Obesity In The Republican Party" she said, laughing aloud.

"It was a good read," Mark said, looking up from his other endeavors.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked, gesturing Jane to sit at the end of the bed.

"Just what happened today, I guess" she replied.

"Did he talk to you before he did it?" Mark asked.

Jane looked down.

"Sorry if it's too early, I didn't mean to-"

"You're fine" Jane responded, brushing Marks embarrassment away.

"He talked to me before it. He explained what was going on in his head. He talked about how he thought he was going to die and that there was no point hanging around like sheep in a herd."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Did you try to grab the gun?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because he wouldn't put it down and I got caught up in the moment. So much was going on and I was trying to process the entire situation. I didn't know right away he was going to shoot himself. I didn't know until the very last few sentences."

"Did he even say sorry?"

"No."

"Jeez, that's horrible."

"Yeah, yeah…it is."

Jane's faced flushed and she began crying again. This time, she found it harder to control her tears, since she was in front of Mark. Her leaned into his shoulder, wailing out words of misery.

"It's alright, it's going to be okay" Mark said, rubbing her back.

"Thank you"

* * *

Lauri sat alone in the kitchen, her blonde hair swinging as she mixed a drink. She was contemplating Peter's suicide and the reasons behind it as she heard footsteps approaching. Claire walked in.

"Hey" Claire mumbled, walking towards the coffee machine.

"You do realize it's like six-thirty PM, right?" Lauri asked, looking at Claire.

"I need to stay awake. I don't feel like dying tonight" she said as Lauri crushed up a lemon.

"You aren't going to die."

"How do you know that? It's not like the nine dead bodies piled up around the island wanted to die either" Claire said, taking a sharp sip from her mug.

"Some of us did plan to die though," she said, reflecting on the most recent death.

"He thought we were all going to die" Claire said, staring into her drink.

"Not likely" Lauri said, smiling.

A loud flicker came from the ceiling, and within seconds, the power was out.

Michelle screamed, and Alex ran into a wall.

Darkness enveloped the house, but luckily the moon threw off enough light though the large windows to give the group room to see and move. All had assembled in the living room, the usual meeting spot.

"Is anyone having trouble seeing?" Vivian asked, handing everyone a flashlight.

Everybody responded with a curt "no" as Vivian gave directions.

"The power may be out, but the doors and windows stay locked. Everybody gets one of these. If there's ever a situation where you can't see, just flick it on and you'll be safe, got it? Good."

The group settled in for the night, a restless wave buzzing through them.

* * *

It had been less than an hour when Jan caught something out of the corner of his eye.

"What the fuck was that?" he said, peering into the darkness.

He flicked on his flashlight, peering around the room.

It landed on a hooded figure.

"It's in here!" Jane shouted. The group sprung up, screaming.

The figure ran at the teens, which had split up in all different directions, most of them taking exits outside.

Michelle had grabbed Steven and Jane, rushing out of the back door down towards the beach.

"Just keep running!" Jane screamed, huffing loudly.

"You're not going to die on me" Michelle said to Steven as they sprinted to the shoreline.

They all collapsed on the sandy beach, which was giving off a creepy, luminescent glow due to the bright moon above them.

"If he even tries to get over here we'll see him" Steven commented, leaning back into the sand, sweat beading across his forehead.

He pointed the flashlight into the distance, and a figure could be seen turning around, making it's way back to the house.

* * *

Inside the house, Lauri and Mark had buried themselves in a closet deep within the downstairs.

They heard the back door creak open, and heavy footsteps could be heard coming down the hall.

"Quiet" Lauri whispered to mark. They had covered themselves in clothes and hangers, attempting to divert attention from themselves.

The door at the end of the hallway creaked open, and there was a pause. The killer was taking it's time to examine.

The door slammed shut, and the heavy thudded footsteps returned, this time coming closer.

It opened the bathroom door just before theirs, this time walking inside. The shower curtain could be heard being flung open, and it checked the cabinets and closet. It turned back around, walking towards the hall.

It stopped in front of the closet.

Lauri heard the door open, it's rough bottom scratching against the wooden floor.

The figure paused. Mark could hear it's heavy breathing, shifting up and down.

It leaned down and picked up a large piece of clothing. Lauri felt some of the weight above her release. She heard the killers breath even cleared now.

It leaned back up, shifting through the clothes that were hung up on the clothing rack. Mark had pressed himself in a separate pile in the corner, closer to the rack.

The killer shifted and shifted, at one point coming so close to Marks body that he could feel the heat from its breath touch his face.

The figure gave up, and slammed the door shut.

Lauri and Mark sat in silence for the next thirty minutes, unaware of the events transpiring outside.

* * *

Vivian rushed up to Jan hiding place, near the shrubbery close to the house.

"Vivian!" Jan hissed from inside the ferns.

Vivian whipped her head around, blinking her flashlight, trying to find Jan's voice.

"Behind the pink flowers!" Jan whispered again.

Vivian rushed over, nestling herself inside of the shrubs next to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fucking fine, thanks for asking."

"Now's not really the time to be bitchy" Jan quipped, glaring at her.

"Now's the _perfect_ time to be bitchy. There's blood all over my house and I'm probably going to get my neck slashed open at some point tonight. Get that dick out of your ass and stop being retarded."

"Jesus Viv, you would think you'd show a little more compassion."

"Jan. Nearly nine of my friends have died, and probably more will by the time we get out of here – _if _we get out of here."

"Do you seriously think we're going to die?"

"We have a pretty high chance, don't you think?"

"Pretty much. We'll live though, Viv."

"Promise"

"Pinky promise"

The front door burst open, and the figure ran outside. Jan and Vivian ducked further into the bushes, the killer taking no notice to them.

"Where the fuck is it headed?" Vivian gulped.

"The woods" Jan replied, watching the hooded figure disappear into the forest.

* * *

Claire and Alex had ended up in a large clearing. The tree's were high, but open enough so that the moon cast an uncomfortable and ghostly light around the brush and debris littering the forest.

"We'll be safe here" Alex assured Claire.

Claire's eyes darted from tree to tree, praying she didn't see a figure come rushing out at her.

"Claire, relax" Alex said, patting her shoulder as the continued walking through the open space.

No sooner than he had said that, the sound of a car engine echoed through the forest.

"That sounds like Jan's car" Alex mumbled.

Within seconds, the cars headlights appear over the ditch, heading straight towards the two. Claire froze, staring at the bright eyes plummeting towards her.

She yanked out her flare gun, and a 'bang' rang through the woods.

"Cla-!"

The car smacked into her, sending her flying, mid-air, into the brush.

The car stopped and a hooded figure jumped out of the drivers seat.

Before Alex had time to think, the figure grabbed him by the next and gouged it's blade into his throat, pulling through his tendons to ensure a quick, yet painful death.

Alex collapsed to the ground, red blood pouring into the weeds below.

The figure took out a tube of bright red lipstick, and applied it to it's lips. It leaned down, leaving a large red kiss on Alex's jeep.

The car engine started again, and the figure drove off, leaving Alex's body in a heap.

* * *

"Are you sure you got her?" the figure muttered to it's accomplice at the wheel.

"She went flying at least forty feet, there's no way she's alive"

"Hopefully not. The quicker we can get this done, the quicker I can go home."

"Amen."

The figure parked the car by the side of the house, and the two of them got out.

"Did you leave the mark?" the figure asked.

"You bet I did" the other responded, taking out the tube of lipstick previously retrieved out of it's pocket, shaking it victoriously in the dim moonlight.

The two walked into the house, and entered the living room. They walked through the back hallway, and into the office, where Peter's bloodstained the walls.

"Idiots" the figure mumbled as it picked up the shotgun in Peters hand, reloading it with a loud click.


	14. Chapter 14 - Plans Interrupted

"So what happens now?" Mike asked, looking directly at Ke$ha.

She looked down, comparing the contrast of her heels to the linoleum.

"They had no where to run, no where to hide. They couldn't sit in the house anymore. They second they broke off from Vivian and Jane they became sitting ducks."

Mike scribbled something on his notepad. Ke$ha tried to take a peek, but was given a stern look by Mike.

"So they're live bait now?"

"Pretty much. All the killer had to do was put them in the right place at the right time. You saw what happened to Claire and Alex."

"But I thought the killer couldn't find Claire's body."

"As far as they know, she's dead."

* * *

After Vivian had left to go find Mark and Lauri in the house after seeing the killers leave, Jan sat alone in the brush. The sound of screeching tires jostled him, and he peeked out of the shrubs.

His Escalade pulled up to the house, it's white body giving off a ghostly glow in the moonlight. The tires stopped, and the lights dimmed. Two figures got out of the car, whispering to each other.

They headed in the direction of the house, opening the side door.

"Shit" Jan mumbled, running his hands through his dark hair.

One of the figures jerked its head around.

"What?" the other snorted from the doorway.

"Nothing" the figure coolly replied.

After the door slammed, Jan crept out of the bushes. Making sure not to make too much noise, he crawled his way towards the forest. Once far enough, he burst into a sprint, following the dim guide lights set up around the large wooded area.

* * *

Lauri and Mark heard the front door open. Nestled in there hiding spot, neither of them had moved since the figure had last come in to check on them, nearly fifteen minutes ago.

"They're back in" Mark whispered to Lauri, slightly shifting behind the clothing.

"They came in the front. If they come towards us, we'll know."

They heard a loud clack.

"It's got the gun" Mark whimpered.

"Shhh! Someones coming" Lauri hissed from her burrow.

The door flew open.

Lauri stopped breathing, her heart bursting through her chest.

Mark had frozen solid, his breath becoming thin with every inhalation.

"Mark? Lauri?" a familiar voice cooed.

"Michelle?" Lauri questioned from her hiding spot.

"I heard you talking," she whispered from the doorway. "They're in the house."

"They're?" Mark replied, unmoving.

"There's two sets of footsteps" Michelle said, leaning to her left.

Lauri gulped loudly.

"I sent Steven and Jane into the woods to go find Claire and Alex. They haven't come back. I came into the house to look for a hiding place but then I heard the door open and booked it over here. They're on the opposite side of the house now."

Lauri and Mark had shifted out of their respective hideouts, slinking out of the closet and into the hallway with Michelle.

"We need to get to the forest, and fast" Mark muttered, thinking about a way to get out of the house.

"Why the forest?" Lauri retorted. "That's probably the least safe place right now."

"We can't be in the same place as the killer" he said, gesturing Lauri to think about why she would question his plan.

"This house is huge" she responded, motioning towards the three floors above them.

"Still-"

Mark froze mid sentence.

The door at the end of the hallway creaked open.

A dark figure stood behind it, a shotgun to its side.

"Move" Michelle said, shoving mark in to motion.

The three barreled down the hall, dodging tables and lamps. Michelle's dark hair bounced behind her, and she would stop and check every few seconds to see how far behind the figure was.

"Keep running" she yelled as the figure picked up speed.

They shot into the study at the end of the hall, and Michelle slammed the door shut and locked it, pushing a large oak chair in front of it.

"We have five seconds to get out of here before he blows the door open and kills us all" Michelle said, looking around for places to escape.

Lauri looked directly at the bay window.

Picking up a candlestick set on top of the table, she swung her arms. The window cracked, but refused to shatter.

"Remember how Vivian's parents made this house foolproof?" Mark exclaimed, looking at the door, the rattling outside becoming louder and louder.

Michelle moved another chair over the door, securing it tighter.

"We're only stalling him at this point. If we don't find a way out we're dead meat"  
"We know!" Lauri shouted. "We know if we don't get out were going to die. Stop focusing on that and focus on getting the hell out of here!"

Michelle withdrew, looking around the room for heavy objects.

Mark paused in front of the table.

"Wait" he said, looking at Lauri.

"Remember when you pushed Miranda out of the window?"

Lauri winced.

"She was heavy enough to break the glass. Michelle's too light, but I'm relative to Miranda."

Mark stood in front of the window.

"It's only a ten foot drop at worst."

The door began banging louder, and the light from the hallway could been seen through a developing crack in the doorframe.

"What are you waiting for?!" Mark screamed.

With all of her strength, Lauri gave him a momentous shove.

The glass shattered under the pressure, and Mark went spiraling downwards. He landed with a loud 'thud' in the mossy grass.

"Go" Lauri motioned to Michelle. She shook her head.

"I can't do it!" she cried, looking at the drop.

"It's not even ten feet. Move it" Lauri urged, her voice becoming more impatient as time ticked by.

Another loud smash emitted from the door. The figure had managed to stick its hands inside of the doorway.

Relying on her instincts, Lauri grabbed Michelle's arm.

She pulled her frail body, throwing herself and her friend out of the window.

Michelle let out a scream as they plummeted, and Lauri felt a sharp pain in her back.

Mark was waiting at the edge of the forest. Michelle sprung up, spiriting towards him with Lauri in tow.

"He got me," Lauri muttered, holding her shoulder in pain.

The bullet had grazed her skin, splitting it open on her shoulder blade. Blood seeped through her torn clothing.

"We'll fix it later. We have to move."

The figure appeared in the window. Michelle screamed as the group sprinted into the woods, the killer letting out a warning shot before receding back into the house.

* * *

Steven and Jane stood in front of a running stream, the water trickling through the rocks and moss, echoing off of the hollow trees.

"We're definitely lost" Steven said, looking around the area. They were surrounded by tall oak trees and large interwoven braches of vines, obscuring the moonlight, making sight that much harder.

"I know where we are" Jane replied, musing through her past.

"Where are we?" Steven asked, looking at her.

"I had my first kiss here"

"That's…great?" Steven retorted, unsure of how this was relevant to their position.

"Sorry" Jane said, snapping out of her daydream state.

"We're about half a mile to the clearing, only catch is, I don't know which direction to go in."

"Great"

"I know one way drops us off at the water, which will take us to the house."

"Weren't we _just_ there?" Steven questioned, looking down into the brush.

"Going back to the house isn't a bad thing. It's best we be there for a sense of bearing."  
"What else?"

"Another way takes us back to the path that leads to the front yard, which is probably the worst place to be, seeing as it's well lit and open." Jane motioned towards the distance, the faint lights from the entryway appearing far off through the tangled vines.

"The alternate way takes you to the path that leads to the help house. The lights are too far off and dim right now to show through the branches, but it's out there somewhere. That's probably our safest bet since I doubt the killer would be checking back there."

"There's one more."

"The last one takes us to the clearing."

"What's that?"

"It's just this big, large, open area smack dab in the middle of the forest. It serves no purpose, really. There's a fire pit there, and whenever Viv would throw a big party we'd all head out there."

"Do you think it's a possibility that the killer is someone that went to one of these parties?"

A twig snapped nearby. Jane jolted up, grabbing Steven.

"It's me," a familiar voice whispered from the darkness.

"Viv?"

"Hey" Vivian said, appearing out of the darkness, into the moonlight.

"Where the fuck were you?" Jane asked, stunned at her sudden appearance.

"I was with Jan for a while. Then I ran into the house to find Lauri, but the killer had grabbed the shotgun, and was firing shots at Lauri and Steven, I think."

"No…" Steven said aloud, staring blankly into the distance.

"What?" Vivian asked, while Jane shrugged.

"Michelle went back to the house" Steven said, disbelief cross his face.

"Holy shit" Vivian mouthed. "That means…"

"The killer shot her" Jane finished.

A tear fell from Vivian's eye.

"I thought you hated her?" Steven said, tears fogging his vision.

"She was still my friend" Vivian gulped, holding in her feelings.

* * *

Jan managed to make it to the clearing. He stopped at the edge to catch his breath, hiding himself behind a large tree.

He heard a gaggle of footsteps, and Michelle, Lauri, and Mark barreled into the wooded area.

"Psst!" Jan hissed from the sideline.

Michelle jumped up, looking around.

"Over here!" Jan whispered louder. Michelle turned her flashlight on, the beam illuminating his face.

"Where were you?" Lauri questioned, Michelle's grey tee tied to her shoulder.

"I was initially hiding by the front of the house, but I ran up here after I heard the Escalade pull in" Jan replied, looking around the clearing.

"The Escalade?" Mark questioned, a puzzled look crossing his face.

"Yeah. Somebody stole my keys and took it for a joyride. I heard the sound coming from here."

Another bundle of footsteps rang through the forest, and Jane, Steven, and Vivian appeared in the moonlight.

"Looks like the whole gangs back together" Steven joked, while Lauri smacked him in the arm.

"Yeah, the whole gang minus Alex and Claire" Vivian snapped back.

"Did anyone find them?" Jane questioned, looking around the group with hope.

"No," most of them reluctantly replied.

"Maybe they were the ones in the Escalade?" Steven suggested.

"No," Jan answered. "It was the killers."

"How are you sure?" Jane asked.

"Because I _saw_ them" Jan sniped.

Michelle used her flashlight to illuminate the ground of the clearing.

"Are those tire tracks?" she questioned, lighting up a set of indentations in the ground.

"Yeah…" Lauri mumbled, looking at the patterned marks.

Before any of them could react, Jane let out a shrill scream. Her flashlight had found the most gruesome thing in the clearing.

"No…" Steven whispered, looking at the body in front of them.

Alex's body lay crumped up; his neck slashed open, dried blood pooled around him.

Michelle began to cry, and Vivian consoled her, tears streaming down her face.

The group took a moment to process what they were seeing before Jan spoke up.

"If Alex is dead, the probably means-"

A rustle came from the far side of the clearing, and a figure began crawling it's way towards them. Michelle shrieked and tripped backwards, and the group froze in terror.

A bloodied figure rose from the ground, shakily approaching them.

It walked into the moonlight, it's bloodstained shoes appearing, following it's torso, and finally it's face.

It was Claire.

* * *

The figures sat in the outline, looking out of the bushes, out onto the clearing.

They had slid away from the group to discuss their problem at hand, the others taking no notice, assuming it was just to console each other.

"Looks like we made a slight error" the other suggested.

"A _slight_ error?" the figure hissed from the brush.

"The point was to get rid of them as soon as possible, hence the 'killing two birds with one stone' logic" it snapped.

"I'm sorry!" the other deflected. "I hit her head on, she should be dead."

"Well she's not!" it screamed. "This means we have to take the extra time to clean up one more body and kill one more kid. We have less than twenty eight hours to get rid of the rest of them, do you realize how hard that's going to be?"

"You're underestimating me," the other said, pulling out a blade from it's back pocket.

"Quick and easy is the way to go" it muttered, driving the knife into the soil.


	15. Chapter 15 - Pity

"Hold up, Claires alive?" Mike questioned, looking up from the table.

"Yup," Ke$ha murmured empathetically, tracing her fingers on the table.

"So the killers are obviously infuriated"

"I'd imagine so… I mean, they're trying to get rid of everyone before the cops come, so they don't get questioned."

"But wouldn't the cops know who went on the trip and deduce that if two of them were missing they were the killers?" Mike asked, a puzzled look crossing his face.

"I wish It was _that_ easy" Ke$ha responded, taking a sip of her coffee.

* * *

A blurred mob of figures surrounded her.

"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, pushing them away.

"I want to go home!"

She tried running.

Her legs wouldn't work.

The ground felt like thick molasses.

She fell to the ground.

A blurry figure with tangled brown hair hovered over her, saying words she couldn't understand.

"Take me home!"

She shot up, pushing the brunette away.

Again, her limbs gave way.

She balanced herself on a tree, clinging to the bark.

Another figure grabbed her, picking her up.

She kicked and screamed, thrusting her body around, attempting to break free.

The headlights of a car came into view.

"No!" she screamed.

The blurred figures looked at her with concern.

She perceived it as malice.

"Let me go!"

The car came closer.

She saw herself in another dimension, flying into the air, landing against the hard bark before plummeting into a bush of prickers.

"Don't kill me!"

The figure holding her gripped her tighter, her screams echoing through the woods.

The car stopped.

Her screams didn't.

She kicked one behind her; their blonde locks falling to the mossy earth.

The back door opened, and she was carried in.

The car engine started, and bright lights appeared around her.

Another figure rubbed her head.

"You're safe now."

* * *

Claire woke up in the living room of the cabin. It was morning, and the birds weren't chirping as usual, instead murmuring over the windy forest.

"She's awake!" Michelle yelled from the kitchen.

She felt a familiar hand on her shoulder.

It was Jan.

"You were out for a while there" he said.

She nodded, confused as to what he was referencing.

"We thought you were dead."

Claire stopped, and she whipped her head around to face him.

"_What!_?" she snapped.

"Shit" Jan muttered, getting up and running towards the stairs.

"I'm alive and I don't feel weird," Claire thought aloud.

It wasn't until she examined her skin that a striking change became apparent.

Her usually soft skin was littered with bruises and puncture marks. Scratches weaved their way up and down her arms, and spots of blood were visible on her clothing. She felt scratches on her face, and her hair was matted, tangled with dirt and leaves.

Lauri and Mark approached her, sitting down beside her.

"We gotta tell you something?" Lauri said; Mark nodded.

"Why, was Jan too chicken to tell me himself?" she snorted.

"No, but we figured you'd rather hear it from us than him" Mark said, pushing back his hair in frustration.

The three sat in silence, Claire looking at the floorboards.

"They hit you with a car and left you for dead. They intended to kill you."

"Wait, there's a _they_ now?"

"Yeah."

"And they tried to kill me?"

"Yes…"

"They tried to fucking _kill_ me?!" she shrieked, standing up.

She ran into the kitchen, pushing Steven aside. She ran up to Michelle, pushing her bowl of cereal onto the floor.

"What?" Michelle yelped, looking defenseless.

"All of you fucking left me for dead?" she screamed, looking around the room.

"We had no idea until…"

"Until you happened to stumble upon my near lifeless body?"

"Claire, it's not…" Steven said, stumbling over his words.

"Not like what?" she snapped, picking up his glass and smashing it against the wall.

Jane rushed into the room, with Vivian in tow.

"What the FUCK is going on?" Vivian yelled.

Claire whipped around, pointing at her.

"And _you_, Mrs. 'I'm the boss and I direct the group.' Yeah, you're a real great leader, leaving your friends in the middle of the woods stranded."

"I was trying to find you, you ignorant bitch!" Vivian sniped, glaring at her.

"Oh, what am I, and accessory you lost?"

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Jane yelled, pushing Vivian aside.

"You may not remember this since, hmm, you got _hit by a car_, but we all split up before you got attacked. None of us had any damn idea were you and Alex were."

The room went silent.

"Where's Alex" Claire whispered, retreat in her voice.

Jane exchanged a nervous glance with Mark. Michelle looked down into her coffee, humming 'Blue Jeans.'

"He's dead" Jan replied from the table.

* * *

Tears welled up in Claire's eyes, and she collapsed into Jane's arms.

"Where's the body?" she asked.

"We left it in the forest – we were more concerned about getting you back to the house safely" Lauri responded.

"You just left it there?"

"You need to calm down" Vivian quipped from the sink as Michelle shot her a cold glare.

"I am so tired of your _shit_" Michelle shot from the counter, moving up to Vivian.

"You've been nothing but a bitch ever since all of this happened. We GET it. Playing the victim and blaming yourself for everything can only get you so far."

"Oh, I'm playing the victim?" Vivian cooed, following Michelle into the living room.

"You hosted your own pity party with a full guest list after Steven dumped your ass for a little boob action with me." Steven turned away, embarrassed. "And not to mention that you try to make yourself seem like hot shit, when in reality you're no better than the rest of us."

Michelle stood, glaring at Vivian, her nostrils flaring in anger.

"P.S. Lana Del Rey is an ugly bitch"

Michelle screamed and ran at Vivian, pushing her into the wall. Throwing Vivian to the ground, she whipped around and headed over to the CD display where a framed copy of Keri Hilsons 'No Boys Allowed' rested against a golden backdrop. Michelle picked it up and mercilessly threw it against the wall.

"No!" Vivian shrieked. "That's only one of the seven copies sold worldwide!"

"Call Lana ugly again."

"Lana's an ugly cow."

Michelle whipped around, grabbing her bag off of the couch. She yanked out a bottle labeled 'Holy Water.' Lana Del Rey's face was embellished on the front side.

"What are you doing?" Vivian gasped and Michelle started yelling, pouring the liquid onto Vivian.

"_Marilyn's my mother, Elvis is my daddy, Jesus is my bestest friend_" Michelle chanted while Vivian tried to stand up.

Vivian grabbed onto Michelle's leg and thrust her arms forward, knocking her onto the ground. She crawled forward, struggling the get up.

Mark had his iPhone open, recording the struggle.

Michelle gripped onto the edge of the couch and pushed herself up. Vivian appeared behind her and shoved her over the edge, her body landing on the hardwood floor.

Vivian rummaged through Michelle's bag, and a devilish smile lit up her face when she found the item she was looking for.

"Don't do it" Michelle pleaded; attempting to raise herself up from the floor, sweat beading across her forehead.

Michelle's signed copy of Born To Die was in pieces within seconds. She let out a wail of horror as the pieces dashed and divided across the hard surface.

Michelle charged up from the ground, pushing Vivian into a barstool chair, and knocked her head against the table. Vivian grabbed Michelle's hair and yanked, a scream emitting from her mouth as she clawed at Vivian's arms.

Vivian's arms started bleeding within seconds, and Michelle smacked her across the face. Vivian grabbed Michelle's shoulders, restraining her, and spit. Lauri let out a gasp.

Michelle kneed Vivian in the shin, grabbing her blonde locks, turning her around, and elbowed her in the back, sending her flying into the ground. Claire mumbled, "yes!" under her breath.

Before Michelle could kick Vivian while she was on the ground, Vivian grabbed Michelle's ankle and pulled, sending Michelle toppling down, smacking her head against the counter. Michelle's body fell limp on the ground as she heaved heavily, not making an effort to get up.

Vivian crawled over to her, but before she could so much as touch her, Michelle grabbed Vivians hand and bit down, hard.

A shotgun blast rang through the halls.

Everyone screamed, while Vivian and Michelle broke up their fight.

Jane stood, holding the gun in her hands, the barrel pointed at the ceiling.

"They stole everything in the garage."

* * *

The group stood in the now empty garage, the cold cement tingling there feet.

"So what exactly was in here that was important?" Jan asked, looking around.

"Anything that could be used to fix the house, really. Flashlights, ropes, wires, screws, ladders…" Vivian said, examining the wall fixtures.

"Why would they need that stuff though?" Mark questioned.

"To keep us in and to keep us from finding a way out" Jane replied. "This garage housed anything that would essentially help us get out of here, or defend ourselves."

"That's weird" Vivian said, scanning the large space.

"They stole the fireworks too."

"What would they need those for?" Lauri asked, sticking her head out from behind a cabinet.

"God knows" Steven said, staring at the cement.

"We need to look for anything in here of value" Vivian said, sending the group in different directions.

"At face value, you would think everything's gone, but there's so many cabinets and cupboards in here that they probably didn't get to"

"What's the point of going through it all?" Mark asked.

"You never know when something will come in handy" Vivian replied, shooting him a cold smile.

Lauri rummaged through a set of drawers, finding some rope and a few flashlights.

"Perfect!"

Mark managed to locate some binoculars and a compass.

"Not much, but it'll work."

The group was digging and digging, rummaging through every possible storage unit in the room.

Jane had wandered off into a darker corner of the garage, an old closet appearing in front of her.

"Hey, they probably didn't go in here" Jane shouted to the group.

"Check it out" Michelle shouted.

The door was jammed.

"Does anyone have a key?"

"I have no idea where my parents keep them" Vivian yelled back.

Jane applied force, and the door gave way, creaking loudly as it swung open.

She flicked the switch near the entrance, and an iridescent bulb flickered into life, illuminating the inside.

She looked inside.

What greeted her eyes was not what she expected.

Jane screamed, falling back, her face pale.

"Holy shit" Jan gasped, rushing over to Jane.

"Look!" she shrieked, pointing inside of the closet, a foul odor emitting from the inside.

"Oh my god"

Christine and Peters bodies sat propped against the wall, their pale skin glowing in the light.

On the wall, a single sheet of paper was attached.

'**FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU. FOOL ME TWICE, I SHOVE A KNIFE INTO YOUR THROAT.'**

"Get back inside, now."

"Wait!" Michelle yelped.

The group looked around, edging closer and closer to the exit.

"Oh my god" Jan remarked, realizing Michelle's discovery.

Claire was gone.

* * *

The group rushed outside, their faces strewn with worry.

"Where we she go?" Vivian questioned, rushing ahead of the group.

"I know exactly where she'll be" Jan said, running into the woods.

Passing through bushes and vines, trees and roots, Jan led them back to the clearing. Claire sat in the dim afternoon light near Alex's body, crying.

She heard them approach, and whipped her head around, a look of anger shooting across her face.

She got up, looking directly at Michelle.

"Claire? Are you okay hon…"  
"You fucking CUNT"

Claire smacked her straight across the face. Steven winced.

"It was YOU. You vile, filthy BITCH!" Claire screamed, clawing at Michelle's face while Steven and Jan attempted to restrain her.

"What the hell?" Michelle replied, stepping back.

"You KILLED THEM!" Claire shouted, trying to break free.

The group stopped and stared at Michelle. She looked around to see their shocked faces.

"Why would you say something like that?" Michelle whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't know, ask the little Mark on Alex's face."

Vivian walked over to Alex's lifeless body, turning his head over.

"Killer Red" she said, looking up at the group.

"That's your color, Michelle."

* * *

One of the figures stood in the distance, looking out onto the group.

Michelle had been blamed for a crime she didn't commit, and better yet, Claire was the one to discover it.

The killer reached down into its pocket, lifting up a small red ball with a fuse attached. The packaging read "CHERRY BOMB – HANDLE WITH CARE."

Pulling out its lighter, it lit the fuse, throwing the small red explosive into the shrubbery. It let out a loud bang, sending a plume of smoke into the air.

In the distance, it saw Jan look up, confused.

Turning around, the figure headed back into the woods, unwrapping another firecracker.


	16. Chapter 16 - Panic

Mike sat, puzzled.

His brows furrowed, looking for a question to ask, but finding nothing. Her had tangled himself up in this story that dodging around it would be impossible at this point.

"You've got me confused" he reluctantly admitted.

Ke$ha smirked, her lips lighting up in a devilish smile.

"Don't blame me, blame the killers."

"And one of them is Michelle, correct?"

She looked up at Mike, and continued her story.

* * *

"It wasn't me, I swear" Michelle said, holding her hands up in a gesture of innocence.

"Then explain why your lipstick is on Alex's face" Jan retorted, looking down at the dead body, it's cheek bearing the mark the killer had falsely planted on it's face.

"You believe me, right?" she said, looking at Steven, her face flushed red.

"I don't know, Michelle" Steven said, pushing his hands through his hair, looking tired and confused.

"You honestly think I have the capacity to kill someone?" she exclaimed, watery tears blurring her vision.

"I don't" Steven murmured from the side.

"And _you're_ her _boyfriend_" Vivian sniped.

"It's obvious she did it. I mean, who else would leave _her_ lipstick on Alex's face? It's not like the killer is smart."

"That's a total pile of bullshit," Claire said, glaring at Vivian.

"I thought you were with me on this!" Vivian shot back.

"Yeah, but the stupid notion that the killer isn't anything short of a genius really makes me wonder if it really is Michelle" Claire retorted.

"She couldn't have done it" Lauri chimed in.

"Why not?" Jane sliced.

"Because she was with me when we heard the car"

"I was there too" Mark added.

"Why would it pick Michelle of all people though? Because she seems the least likely?" Jane questioned.

"Whatever the case, I'm keeping my eye on you" Vivian said, glaring in Michelle's direction.

"God, I am so done with you" Michelle shot before storming into the woods, the thick woods enveloping her.

"Michelle, wait!" Steven shouted before she vanished into the trees.

"Shit" Jan said, looking out.

"She's a sitting duck now, and she brought it upon herself. Sucks to suck. We need to keep moving" Vivian said, beginning the walk back to the house.

During Vivian's hasty move, one of her bracelets had fallen off, landing on the ground near Alex's body.

A figure swept by, grabbing the trinket off of the sod, a malicious cackle ringing through the woods.

* * *

"I don't know why we keep coming back here" Mark stated, the dark walls of the cabin making him feel more uncomfortable by the second.

"Because it's the only place that we can see everything. Since none of you can be bothered to lock the doors, the killer already breached the security system and found it's way in" Jane replied, closing the curtains of one of the porch windows.

"I just want to go home" Claire moaned from the couch.

"Me too" Jan said, patting Claire on the back.

"Well, you aren't getting home at this point" Steven shouted from the stairwell.

Before Claire could continue her sentiment, Lauri rushed into the living room, her face red with confusion and anger.

"They stole all of it!" she screamed, her eyes bulging with disbelief.

"Stole what, you crazy bitch?" Jane retorted.

"The food!"

The group gasped, sharing looks of worry with each other. The police weren't set to arrive for another thirty hours at the earliest, which meant more than a day without food, which is essentially a day without energy.

"So it doesn't even want to let us _try_ to fight back" Jan said with disbelief.

"It's doing this on purpose. It's cutting off our resources one by one in the hope that we'll be baited to come looking for them, and one by one it can kill us" Mark commented, looking out towards the lake.

"This is just a big game of cat and mouse" Claire said, her face vacant of emotion.

The room went silent.

Marks ears picked up a small whirring sound coming from the ceiling.

"Do you hear tha-"

A collection of small, large, colored balls fell from the ceiling window.

Upon closer inspection, the group realized they weren't just balls.

Sparks flew from short fuses attacked to the base of these objects.

"You're fucking KIDDING me!" Claire exclaimed before being grabbed by Jan, pushing her outside of the house.

Everyone ran in separate directions before the balls erupted with a loud BANG. The sound of furniture smashing could be heard, and most of them sprinted towards the woods.

Lauri had a different idea.

She ran to the side of the house and began to scale the walls.

"What are you doing?" Jane screeched, her voice full of panic.

"I'm putting an end to this once and for all."

Lauri arrived on the roof to be greeted by a figure in a black hoodie.

"Why are you doing this?" Lauri questioned, inching closer and closer to the figure.

Lauri lunged at the killer, running across the roof tiles towards her enemy.

This did not last long.

Her foot caught on one of the rough edges of the polyhedral roof, and she stumbled, her body rolling towards the edge.

As she clung on, the figure walked towards her.

It took out a lighter, placing three of the explosives on either side of Lauri, holding her fingers down with its boots.

It lifted up one finger, placing it over it's face, an ominous 'Shh' emitting from its mouth.

"Its you!" Lauri screamed.

The figure stepped back, and the firecrackers lit off.

* * *

Twilight came to the young woman's eyes.

Figures surrounded her, looking at her with worry.

"She fell hard" she heard one of them say.

Fell hard where?

She touched her head.

Blood.

"My head hurts" she said aloud.

"Hey, she can talk!" one of them exclaimed.

Reality began coming back to her.

She saw the faces above her.

Vivian.

Jane.

Steven.

Jan.

Claire.

Mark.

"Where's Michelle?"

"She ran into the woods, remember?" a blonde figure replied. Vivian.

"Why?"

Time froze.

Why did Michelle run into the woods?

She searched her brain, her heart beating, pulsing through her veins.

She remembered the clearing; she remembered Alex's body.

"What time is it?"

"It's around six" a delicate girl in the back replied. Claire.

She nodded her head, worry, etching her face.

"Lauri" Jane said, lifting her off of the ground.

"Do you remember the roof? Do you remember fighting with the killer?"

"I fought the killer?"

"Yes."

"Did I win?"

"No."

"What happened?"

"Shit" Jan said from the side.

"She has no clue" Claire muttered.

"What are you talking about?" Lauri asked, looking up at them.

"Lauri, the killer shot you off the roof."

Lauri's face paled, her heart sinking to her stomach.

"We thought you were dead."

* * *

Michelle twirled in the woods, the sunlight dampened by the tall trees.

The birds flew, hurriedly searching for food, attempting to feed their young.

Squirrels dashed about, jumping from limb to limb, constantly on the lookout for predators.

Michelle saw a raccoon darting through the tree trunks, but once it saw her, it made haste in the other direction.

She danced through the trees, humming 'Video Games', by Lana del Rey, or as Michelle fondly called her, 'Jesus.'

She arrived in a different clearing than the last. This one was denser, and less light let through. Moss clung to the dark green trees, and the air was moist and humid, but calming at the same time.

A bench sat near a tree, covered in moss and vines. Michelle sat on it, collecting her thoughts.

A twig snapped nearby.

"Hello?" Michelle called out, jolting up from her seat.

A figure in a white gown appeared out of the forest, coming towards Michelle.

"Don't be scared, my little Angel" the figure cooed.

Lana Del Rey stood before Michelle, her long red fingernails tracing the contours of Michelle's face as she shook with happiness.

"Is it really you?" Michelle whispered, her eyes watering.

"Yes, my dear. Come sit," she said, gesturing Michelle towards the bench.

"I must tell you about your future"

"You know about… my future?" Michelle questioned. She never realized Lana was actually Jesus reincarnated, but, anything is possible.

"Yes, Michelle."

"Am I going to live?" Michelle asked, fear etching her eyes.

"That is up to you" Lana replied, smiling.

"But you said…"

"Those are events I cannot predict. They are based entirely off of variables I have no way of predicting."

"Oh…" Michelle said, looking down.

"But I do know this."

"Yeah?"

"You are going to fight. You are going to fight, and no matter if you live or die, you will go down as a hero."

"Do you know who the killer is?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me?"

"Absolutely not."

"Why?"

"Because that would ruin the point of destiny. I did not choose to put your friends in danger, fate and destiny did."

While Michelle pondered this, Lana's pocket bleeped.

"Oh!" she said with surprise. "Hold on."

She pulled out her bedazzled iPhone, the word "BITCH" emblazoned on the back.

"I just got a snapchat from God, I need to reply."

She held her iPhone up and puckered her lips. She made a peace sign with her hands and clicked the shutter button.

"There we go" she said as the put the phone back into her pocket.

"Anyways, what was I saying?"

"Fate, destiny, the killer…" Michelle replied, looking confused.

"Ahh yes, the killer, or should I say, _killers_! It is someone much closer to you than you think!"

"So it's one of the people on the island?"

"Why do you assume it's one of your friends? Most of them are under the impression that it's you."

"But it's not me!"

"I know that. You were set up, and that's entirely not your fault."

"What should I do?"

"Regain trust."

"How?"

"Christ, you ask a lot of questions."

Michelle retreated, shrugging against the tree.

"You have to prove to them it wasn't you. One of them was almost just killed, and you're the only person in the group missing."

"Wait, WHAT?!"

"Your friend Lauri was just fired off of the roof, and she's lost all memory of the past few hours."

"I need to go help her…"

"Yes, you do."

Michelle got up from the bench and began heading out of the clearing.

She turned to ask Lana one final question.

"Is this real?"

"Only if you believe it is" she replied, before fading into the depths of the forest.

* * *

Darkness had begun to sink in. The group gathered in the front yard, the light from the lamps illuminating their shadowy figures.

Michelle ran up, pushing past Vivian and hugging Lauri.

"What happened?" she asked, Vivian shooting her an ugly glare.

"She nearly got killed – ironic you should ask, considering you're the only person that wasn't there with us" Vivian sniped, a nasty smile darkening her face.

"I didn't do it" she replied, looking towards the group for approval.

"We saw the figure" Jane said.

"And?"

"It was too tall to be you."

"So how did you not see who it was?"

"All of us had split up in different directions. There's no possible way we could know who it was" Jan interjected.

"It's one of us" Michelle said, the group turning to face her with disbelief.

"And _how_ do you know this?" Mark questioned, looking at Michelle with surprise.

"Lana told me."

"Oh for CHIRST'S sake!" Vivian shouted.

"Look, I know it sounds harebrained, but wouldn't it make sense?"

"Why would any one of us want to kill each other?" Mark asked.

"Revenge?" Claire suggested.

"Payback?" Lauri mused.

"Woo Hoo leaking?" Steven contributed.

"Either way, it's plausible."

"Well obviously, considering you're the obvious killer" Vivian spat at Michelle.

"If I was the killer you would have been dead days ago" Michelle shot back.

Vivian retreated near Claire, and the group dispersed amongst themselves, picking out different spots along the front yard.

* * *

Nighttime had fallen.

Jan, Lauri, and Mark had dozed off into a deep sleep, but Claire was wide-awake.

The forest was quiet. The birds had stopped chirping, and the squirrels had retreated into their nightly quarters.

Everything was calm.

Too calm.

A loud bang, followed by a splash of bright lights, came rushing through the woods.

Everyone shot up, and the sleepers awoke from their daze, startled by the loud noise.

"What was that?" Vivian shouted to Claire

"Fireworks!" she screamed as another bang set off, a spark narrowly missing Claire's face.

"We have to move!" Mark screamed as him and Michelle ran into the woods.

Lauri stumbled towards the house in fear.

A smashing sound echoed from behind her as one of the lamps exploded into pieces.

"Get away!" Steven yelled, trying to push Claire out the way.

"Claire" he huffed. "We need to leave."

She stood still, fear etching her eyes as they grew wider with every burst.

"Claire" Jan said, running up to the group, giving Steven a look.

"She won't move. She won't even talk to me."

Jan grabbed Claire, and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder as they ran towards the fountain.

"Hide in here" he said to Steven, pushing him and Claire behind a large shrub, concealed from view.

"I'll be back, I promise."

The sky danced and dazzled with bright colors of neon and gold, pink and white.

The figure became illuminated with each and every burst of color, coming closer with every explosion.

Jane knew what she had to do.

"Where are you going?" Jan yelled at her.

"To finish what I started" she replied, cocking her shotgun.

Jane approached the figure, aiming her shotgun at her target thirty feet away.

"Any last words?" she shouted, ready to fire.

A fuse sparked.

Jane froze up before coming back to reality.

She pointed and aimed, the shotgun letting out a loud blast.

The bullet narrowly missed the figure.

She heard a 'thud' next to her feet.

It was too late.

The firecracker erupted with a loud 'boom', sending Jane flying into the air.

"NO!" Jan screamed as her blouse lit on fire.

She landed with a deafening snap, her spine twisted in a gruesome angle, and Jan ran forward, grabbing the shotgun from the ground.

He saw the figure running into the distance, and fired.

"Fuck you!" he screamed as he watched the figure disappear into the darkness.

"Get some water!" he screamed to Steven.

Steven came back with a bucket from the fountain, pouring it on to Jane's blouse.

"Jane?"

"Y-y-yeah?" she managed to murmur.

"You're going to be all right. We're going to make it through this" he said, tears pouring out of his eyes.

"I'm ready," she whispered.

"Jane. Jane, stay with us. Jane! JANE!"

Her grip on his hands loosened, and her body relaxed. Her eyes went vacant, looking out into the starry sky.

"She's dead."

* * *

"What the _hell _were you thinking?" the Figure snapped to its accomplice.

"I didn't mean to get that close" the other replied.

"It doesn't matter if you _meant _to or not. You still did it, and almost died in the process."

"Well, you cut it pretty close with Lauri earlier, so I wouldn't be talking" the accomplice sniped.

"We don't have time for this. We have less than twenty four hours until the police are supposed to get here."

"Don't worry. They won't make it."

The figure pulled out Vivian's bracelets, the shining silver sheen glimmering in the moonlight.

"Perfect" the other muttered, a wicked smile lighting up it's face.


	17. Chapter 17- Pyro

A look of surprise crossed Mikes face.

"So Jane's not the killer?" he gasped in disbelief. "I was sure it was her."

"You're obviously not a very good detective" Ke$ha muttered, pushing her blonde locks away from her eyes.

"I'm not here to get harassed Mrs. Sebert – I'm here to learn the truth."

"And I'm going out of my way to give you this information" Ke$ha sniped, glaring at Mike.

"Mrs. Sebert."

"Michael."

"I can kick you out of here whenever I want" he whispered aggressively, sternly pursing his lips.

"And I can take my knowledge of the killer and lock it in my brain" she whispered back, her mouth forming into a devilish grin.

"Continue."

"I knew you'd see it my way."

* * *

Jan lay over Jane's body, crying.

Steven had gone back to the fountain to get Claire, telling her the awful news. Claire stood up in disbelief, shuddering with fear.

Vivian, Lauri, Michelle, and Mark were nowhere to be found.

"We were all here… It couldn't have been one of us" Claire stammered, clutching Stevens arm.

"We have to face the tough reality" Jan said, looking up from the body.

"And that is…?" Steven questioned.

"That it might not be one of us, and that it's someone who came here with the intent to kill us."

"But who would even _do_ that?" Claire shrieked.

"Someone who knows us well enough to follow us here" Steven replied. "Someone crazy."

"Clarisse" Jan suggested again.

"It's not the time for jokes you faggot" Claire snapped. "Our lives are on the line and I _really _don't feel like dying. Not after…"

"After what?" Steven asked.

"Never mind" she mumbled. "Point being, we need to make sure none of us die."

"As if we haven't been thinking that the entire time" Jan said, jerking his head towards Claire.

"Well maybe if you morons didn't leap up and go on a hero quest every time you heard a little bump, while also assuming it's a woodland creature or other variant, half of us wouldn't be dead" Steven said pointedly.

"Regardless" Jan huffed "We're dealing with somebody who obviously knows what they're doing, seeing as they've offed more than half of us."

Steven looked up.

"We need to stay together. No more splitting up. No more leaving to save someone. From this point on, we're inseparable."

* * *

Vivian stumbled through the woods, dirt and twigs matted into her hair.

She rested near a tree, sighing, looking out into the darkness for a sign of life.

Before she could react, the tree she was leaning against dropped a branch, hitting her in the head.

"What the fuck?" she snapped, looking up at the tree.

She heard a giggle.

Looking at the tree, she saw 'Fan1233' inscribed in its trunk.

"What are you doing here?" Vivian retorted, glaring at the tree.

"I'm just a passerby. Watching you and your friends do what 4 did on the charts in real time if amusing" the tree mused.

"It's not amusing, it's devastating" she shot back.

"The only devastating thing going on right now is Warriors chart performance" the tree slyly replied.

Vivian woke up, a cold sweat beading across her forehead.

"Jesus Christ, that was one hell of a dream."

She got up, moving towards the clearing ahead of her.

Before she could make it, she heard a rustle nearby.

A figure in a hoodie darted by in the distance, rushing towards the house.

"Shit" she muttered, running in the opposite direction.

* * *

Mark had managed to make his way back to the field where Jane's body lay motionless.

Noticing her body, he ran up to her, hoping she had just been knocked out.

As he came closer, the burns tearing across her body became more visible, her scorched skin crumbling away. He noticed the horrendous angle her body was positioned in, and automatically knew.

He had heard the shotgun blasts while hiding in the forest, and took that as an incentive to run deeper within, hiding away from any potential terror. However, he had wrongly assumed that the killer was the one shooting – in fact, as he now saw, Jane's death was the outcome.

While many of his friends didn't know it, Mark had possessed a deep, burning passion for Jane every since the vacation started. The second they locked eyes after years of pointless online conversation; he knew that she was the one.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that she played for both teams, and assumed the worst when he saw her and Mary cuddled together on the couch. Not realizing that she was open to dating both sexes, he assumed she was a lesbian, and gave up hope. His lust, however, did not disappear, and he often found himself yearning for her love, although he knew it would never come.

Tears welling in his eyes, he noticed something shining near her body.

"Oh my god" he whispered, shock etching his voice.

Vivian's charm bracelet glistened in the moonlight.

He picked it up, a mixture of anger and frustration running through his mind.

The tiny bracelet bounced and jingled with every movement of Mark's hands. The tiny charms hanging off of it represented important facets of Vivian's life. A heart with the word 'FRIENDS' etched in the middle was an embodiment of her and Jane's friendship. A house was settled near it, a symbol of Vivian's appreciation for her family and all that they have bestowed upon her. Another charm shined a little to the left; a college graduation cap – an agency of Vivian's successful educational experience and yearning to go to Harvard Medical School.

The most prolific one, however, was the one that was hanging next to the heart. A small, silver pistol jangled in the dim moonlight. Mark didn't have to think much about what that was for.

"Evil bitch" he muttered, standing up, ready to go confront her.

He heard the noise of a phone vibrating from Jane's pocket. Hesitant at first, he eventually picked it up, a look of disgust form touching Jane's body crossing his face.

He looked at the phone, a chill going down his spine.

"MOVE AWAY FROM THE BODY. YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS."

Before the shock had time to settle in, Mark dived out of the way and sprinted towards the water, his eyes wide with terror.

Looking back, he saw a fire erupting, a hooded figure standing by it.

* * *

Lauri was curled in a ball within the closet of one of the downstairs rooms. She didn't know which one, but towels and toiletries surrounded her, the smell of lilac filling the space.

She heard the front door creak open, and felt the vibration of heavy footsteps entering the house.

Seeing as the figure was the equivalent of two minutes away, she decided to reassemble herself, making her body invisible to the eyes of the killer.

She heard the back door slide open, and heard the figure walk outside.

Before she could make a run for it, she heard the door open again.

"Shit" she whispered, tightening her body.

The footsteps echoed through the house as the killer made its way from room to room, closet to closet. She heard it coming closer to her hiding quarter, and before she knew it, the door flung open.

Hiding under the pile of towels and accessories, she could see out of a small peephole she made. The space was warm, and breathing quietly was made extremely hard.

The figure let out a grunt of frustration, and threw something to the ground, a loud thud emanating from the object.

Lauri adjusted her eyes in the darkness, looking at the object before it became clear.

Her eyes widened, and she used every ounce of will in her body not to scream in terror.

Laid before her was Jane's decapitated head, her eyes still open, looking at her with unmistakable fear.

* * *

Jan, Steven, and Claire continued trooping through the forest, stopping for short intermittent breaks.

"We should go back to the house" Claire huffed, looking desperately at Steven.

"No. That's the least safe place right now" Steven replied. "And besides, Michelle's still out here."

Claire had heard enough.

"Why are you so _fucking _concerned about Michelle. She's probably fucking rotting right now anyways. Stop being so _fucking _concerned about everybody else and fight for your _own fucking life_ you whiny little shit."

Jan and Steven turned around in disbelief.

"Why would you _ever_ say something like that?" Steven asked, looking at Claire, visibly hurt.

Jan backed away, not wanting to involve himself in their fight, although normally he would be the one starting it.

"I just don't understand why you all value other peoples lives so much when your life should hold the top value" she replied.

"But when you love someone you-"

"Stop with this 'love' bullshit. You've known the bitch for less than a week. I've known her eons longer than you and I still place myself over her any day."

"Why are you so hostile?" Steven angrily shot. "It's not like you've ever killed someone."

Claire froze.

She remembered the truck.

She remembered the gas station.

She remembered the sound of the gun.

She remembered the ambulance.

"Claire…?" Jan asked, looking at her despondent face.

"I killed a man once" she said blankly, emotion absent from her face, as if she was staring off into darkness.

"W-what?" Steven asked.

"We were at a gas station at one in the morning on a Saturday. The guy was drunk and or psychopathic, I don't really know. He threatened my mom. He was going to rape her. He had hit her already and had thrown her onto the hood of his car. I was in our car watching helplessly. I was fifteen. I knew we had a gun in the glove box. I took it out, walked right up to him, and shot him clean in the face."

"Jesus" Steven whispered. "I'm sorry."

"They didn't put me in juvenile detention because they believed me and my mom. He wasn't alive to testify, and he didn't have any family members that really cared. He had multiple sexual offense charges already, so there wasn't much of a question about it. But I'll never forget it. I'll never forget killing another human being."

"So how does this relate to the value of your personal life?"

"Because I wasn't going to let him kill me and my mother. I realized what had to be done. If I find out one of you is the killer, I won't waste a second to shoot your fucking head off."

With that, Claire started walking deeper into the forest.

"Pretty girl, ugly secret" Jan murmured to Steven, following after her.

* * *

Michelle had hidden herself in the woods. Surrounded by shrubbery, she was invisible to the naked eye, especially the eye of any lurking killer.

She smelled the faint scent of smoke, coming from the bay. Looking off into the distance, she noticed a small, bright light flickering in the distance.

"Curiosity killed the cat" she muttered to herself, leaving her hiding place and running towards the shoreline.

Once she got there, she knew immediately what it was.

A fire had erupted surrounding a smoldering heap. Michelle made use of her resources, and used the bucket near the fountain to singe out the fire. What she found after doing this terrified her.

She screeched, a charred, decapitated body lying in front of her. Some of the skin had burned off so badly that bone was visible through the blackened skin, and portions of it's neck bone were visible from the brutal slice the killer had given to it's head.

What scared Michelle most was that she had no idea who the body belonged to. Was it one of her already dead friends, or was it the body of somebody new?

Out on the shoreline, she saw the silhouette of a figure standing.

The moonlight reflected off of the ocean, letting off an eerie glow as Michelle made her way to the beach.

* * *

A key turned into place, and a figure let out a gleeful yelp.

"I told you it would work" the other said to its accomplice.

"This is a goldmine" she figures said aloud, looking around the closet sized area.

The other looked around in wonder, inspecting and admiring the prized possessions on the walls.

The figure broadly grinned as it dismantled a pump-action shotgun from the wall of defense weapons, proudly owned by the St. Clair family for many generations.

"Look at this!" the other said with joy.

"Perfect" the other murmured, looking at the keys on the wall labeled "Motorboat."


End file.
